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THE 



IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY 



PUBLIC OPINION 



By A. ALISON, ESQ. 

ADTJtOR OF PHILOSOPHY AND HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION, &C 



" We enjoy peace, order, wealth, and advancement in all material and social matters. 
Rut let us beware. The whole world, old and new, tells us how soon all this may he 
suddenly checked, thrown into ruin, and laid under clouds and darkness." — The Times. 



WITH A PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR 




LONDON: 
G. H. NICHOLS, EARL'S COURT, LEICESTER SQUARE 

AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. 
1862. 



GENERAL PREFACE. 



The present work may be considered a history of the times in which 
we live, as well as a complete system of Morals, Religion, and Politics ; 
and as it treats of Progress and Regeneration, it is one of no ordinary 
interest to us all. 

The Reformation movement may now be considered un fait accompli, 
for the recent proceedings in Yorkshire have placed that beyond a 
doubt. Nothing, therefore, now remains, but to spread the movement 
by means of Lectures and Essays throughout the length and breadth 
of the land. Human nature being the same everywhere, it follows, 
that what has been done in one locality, may be done in another ; and 
we doubt not that very soon every city and town will have its Reforma- 
tion Society, and its Ladies' Committee to give circulation to this work, 
and to collect funds to meet necessary expenses. 

Having fearlessly told the whole truth, we are rewarded with a degree 
of progress which is perhaps unprecedented in the history of any pre- 
vious movement, either religious or political. It is true that the times 
have been particularly favorable to us, but it will not be forgotten, that 
with all the advantages we have enjoyed, we had our own difficulties to 
contend with. Now that all difficulties have been fairly overcome, 
we hope a monument has been reared to Truth and Justice which will 
endure for centuries yet to come. 

Truth, consistency, and impartiality, have been our object from first to 
last ; and these are the principles with which the name of the Reforma- 
tion Society will ever be identified. We have stood midway between 
the laity and the clergy ; and in awarding to each their due we trust we 
are acting in a manner to command the confidence of both. The same 
may be said of the political world. We stand half way between the 
whigs and the tories; and in holding the scales of justice equally 
balanced, we receive support from both. 



IV PREFACE. 

Long, too long, have we been contented to sit in comparative dark- 
ness, but we shall now see the light, when peace, good- will, and con- 
tentment will take the place of all the evil passions which govern man 
in a partially civilized state. 

It may be necessary to explain that we do not desire the establish- 
ment of any new Church, but only the reformation of the existing 
Churches. We shall accordingly discourage all proposals for a new 
Church, for that would only defeat our object of reforming the ex- 
isting Churches. 

While we seek the reformation of the Churches, we shall give our 
attention at the same time to the reformation of Politics, for the in- 
terests of the body, as well as the soul, must be attended to, if we 
desire a result in which no want or schism shall exist. By introducing 
the principle of "responsibility" into the affairs of the State, as well 
as of the Church, we shall reduce the expenditure of the country to an 
extent which will relieve us from a large portion of taxation which 
presses so heavily on us all. 

Truth is principle, or that which is right. Conscience is the per- 
ceiver of Truth; and, in submitting these pages to the consideration 
of our readers, we appeal to the Conscience, as to a judge in whom 
we have every confidence. It is ignorance and delusion which blinds 
the consciences of men and makes them to differ, but let that evil be 
removed by the information which these pages supply, and the conscience 
will be free to judge without prejudice. Principles are easy to find, 
and when found, are as easy of belief. As to matters of fact, and any 
thing where principle does not apply, there must of course be differences 
of opinion. 

A word in conclusion to the reader. This book ought to be read 
through, and as it treats of the causes of action, it may be read again 
and again, until it is fully understood. Weigh and consider every sen- 
tence on its own merits. Your own good sense shall be the judge by 
which to test one and all its statements, and when you find a sentence 
to be true, accept it, and pass on to the next. You will thus read to 
profit, and your soul will grow in that which is good and honoring to 
God and Man. 

London, 

January, 1862. 



THE REFORMATION IN YORKSHIRE. 



The Chairman of the New Reformation Society, of London, being 
at present a resident in Scarborough, was asked to deliver a series of 
lectures in the Prince of Wales' Hotel, to explain the object of the 
society to which he belongs. Two meetings were accordingly held on 
the 22nd and 23rd inst., (September, 1861), which were attended by 
large and influential audiences of ladies and gentlemen. The meetings 
gave great satisfaction ; and that the matter might take a practical 
turn, a series of resolutions were prepared, printed, and circulated previous 
to the last meeting, of which the following is a report : — 

M Mr. Alison commenced by saying that the meeting last night was 
confined to the subject of religion, but to-night he would extend his 
subject of reform into the vast world of politics. He explained that 
Lord Bacon committed the great mistake of separating Religion from 
Politics, an error which was fatal to progress ; for, unless all the causes 
of action are reformed and perfected, the world cannot be moved or 
reformed. This error on the part of the great philosopher of the 
sixteenth century will be corrected by the present movement, which, as 
you all know, embraces both religion and politics. 

" The first practical object of the society is the repeal of the Income 
Tax, and the Tea Duties ; this great reform is to be effected by the 
introduction of a new department into government, as is fully explained 
by Essay No. 4 of the society. The next practical object is the reform 
of the Church ; this reform, I may explain, will exclusively affect the 
preaching of the clergy, and by improving that, by the adoption of the 
new Articles of Belief published by our society, we shall reform the 
minds of men, and so improve the world. 

"Earl Russell told us the other day that the time has gone by for 
Electoral Reform Bills, and he is quite right. The people have dis- 
covered that no good is to come from reforms of that kind. We want 
reforms that are to put something into our pockets, and reforms which 
will make us better and happier men. Why is it that our statesmen 
have allowed the Church to remain unreformed so long ? The reply is 
that the people have never asked for such reform ; but now they will not 
have that excuse to make for allowing the people to remain so long with 
a state of ignorance and delusion as to their real interests. 1st, the 
Evil Passions of Men want reforming ; 2nd, the Church Articles want 
reforming ; and 3rd, the Government wants reforming, and it is to pro- 
mote these general reforms among the people and in Parliament that our 
society has been organized. The first of these reforms you can carry 
out yourselves, and the two last you can help us to carry by sending 
up your petitions to Parliament. It will not be necessary that I should 
go into details as to the precise nature of these reforms, as the publica- 
tions of our society are in your hands, and to these I must refer you for 
all particulars. 



VI NEW REFORMATION IN YORKSHIRE. 

" The world has improved, as every man may ascertain, by comparing 
the Middle Age with the Nineteenth Century, and that is the proof that 
it is capable of improvement. What is Civilization, but the improve- 
ment of Nature, or the abolition of evil. Away then with the idle 
nostrums of the sceptics, who deny that the world is capable of improve- 
ment. These men think they are wise, but, alas, their wisdom is folly ! 
Good and evil exist, and every man is endowed with the faculty of dis- 
tinguishing the one from the other, and of producing good and reducing 
evil. The Reformed Religion which we uphold is a Religion of Belief, 
for we believe in man's capacity for self-improvement, whereas the un- 
reformed religion now existing in the church is, to a great extent, a 
religion of negatism, as it ignores the power of man to improve himself. 
Some men have no heart for suffering humanity, and are so evil-disposed 
as to avow their dislike to all amendments. Of such men we can only 
say they are not Christians, for there is no man who is animated by 
the feelings of a Christian, who would desire that the world should re- 
main unreformed. 

" Gentlemen, — It has been said that we intend to make men religious 
by Act of Parliament, but what is the fact ? At present, the preaching 
of the pulpit is regulated by Act of Parliament (Act of James I, 1603). 
Now, all we propose, is to amend that act, so as to improve the preaching 
of the pulpit, and through that great reform, afford improved instruction 
to the people. That is the whole of our scheme of Church Reform, and 
you will find it is as simple as it will be efficacious. 

" On the ways and means, I wish to say one word. We have no am- 
bition to be a wealthy corporation — all we ask is that those who can 
afford it, will give us One Guinea, which will entitle them to a Life 
Member's Ticket, and certain privileges as to the purchase of the 
Society's publications. We cannot continue to pay printers' bills and 
the expenses of meetings without money, and I hope you will remember 
this and send your contributions to the Treasurer, 27, New Bond Street, 
London. I may further explain, that sums of Five Shillings and up- 
wards, will entitle the donors to become ordinary members of the 
Society. 

"One word as to India. Our excellent chairman told you last 
night that if they had had the Reformation Society in operation in 
India only ten years ago, the late disastrous mutiny in that vast empire 
would have been entirely prevented; and I can confirm all he said. 
With a lucid and consistent creed, instead of an inconsistent one which 
the natives cannot understand, and never will accept, the whole of the 
Hindoo and Mahometan population would have been converted to 
Christianity, which would have rendered mutiny as impossible in India 
as it is in England. This consideration shows that the future prosperity 
and peace of India depends much on the success of our movement, as 
the improvement of religion will powerfully tend to prevent future 
rebellions and mutinies, and enable us to improve the condition of India. 

With reference to the Oxford Essays and Reviews, I beg to explain 
that when I noticed that book in my Work on Civilization, I had not 
had time to read it, but now that I have perused the book, I have no 
hesitation in saying that I cannot approve of it. 

" The grand difficulty in all constitutional states is how to deal with 



NEW REFORMATION IN YORKSHIRE. Vll 

the franchise. To place the power in the hands of an illiterate populace 
— to make the peasant equal to the educated squire or merchant — seems 
preposterous ; and yet it is difficult to resist that result. Now, there are 
three ways in which this difficult problem may be solved, with safety to 
the state. The first is to maintain the qualification at a high rate, say 
a £10 franchise. 2. — To have a strong government, as in France, and 
reduce the franchise to universal suffrage. And, 3rd. — To enlighten 
the people, and, after that to reduce the franchise, so that every man 
may have a vote. 

" With any of these modes there would be safety, but it is manifest 
that the latter mode is the only one that combines safety with liberty. 
We say that to educate and enlighten the people by a competent system 
of instruction, and then to lower the franchise is the way to deal with 
the Elective Reform question in this country. It will be found that the 
new reformation movement which we support is competent to effect that 
great object which has hitherto baffled all our statesmen to solve. 

" Universal suffrage in connection with an illiterate mob has brought 
America to the verge of ruin. How is it possible to expect any other 
result by placing the power in the hands of those who know nothing of 
the complex and difficult art of government. It is obviously impossible 
for America, after having lowered the franchise, to raise it. We there- 
fore, do not propose that, but we propose that they should elect a king, 
and then America will have universal suffrage in connection with a 
strong government, and that will deliver them from the tyranny of a 
government of corruption and misrule. 

" It is our wish and desire that every man should have a vote, and if 
the people of England will support our Bill for the Reformation of the 
Church, that will give improved instruction to the people, and, within 
one year after the passing of that Bill, we shall propose a great reduc- 
tion of the franchise. Intelligence and the franchise must always go 
together, or there will be danger to the state ; and in reforming the 
Church so that we may enfranchise the people, we hope, not only to 
receive the approval of the upper classes, but likewise the warm 
support of the people, who are to be the gainers by the change. 

" I have to announce that two Provincial Societies are to be formed 
in Yorkshire, the one in Leeds and the other in Scarborough. These 
Societies are to be entirely independent of the London Society, and 
are to be constituted on the sound principle of being self-supporting. I 
need scarcely say that I wish these Societies all success, and if they 
should at any time desire that I should deliver lectures to them, I shall 
be most happy to do so." 

The Chairman, W. Greer, Esq., now moved the adoption of the 
printed Resolutions, approving of the movement, and of petitioning both 
Houses of Parliament in favor of the Reforms in Church and State, 
which have been proposed by the Reformation Society. The motion was 
seconded by Captain Le Strange. On a show of hands being called 
for, the Chairman declared the Resolutions to have been carried 
unanimously. A vote of thanks having been voted to Mr. Alison for 
his interesting and instructive lectures, and to the Chairman for his con- 
duct in the Chair, the meeting separated. — Scarborough Times. 

At Meetings held at Scarborough on the 22nd and 23rd September, 



Vlll THE NEW REFORMATION IN YORKSHIRE. 

1861, the ^following Resolutions in support of a General Reformation 
were agreed to unanimously. Wm. Greer, Esq., M. A., in the Chair : — 

1st. — "This Meeting having heard A. Alison, Esq., of the Reforma- 
tion Society of London, explain the principles and objects of that 
Society, do approve generally of the movement." 

2nd. — " That a Committee be appointed to promote the movement 
throughout the United Kingdom. A. Alison, Esq., to be Chairman, who 
will sign the Petitions." 

3rd. — " That the Committee be instructed to call the special attention 
of the Press to the paramount importance of this movement in the pre- 
sent critical position of the country, that the objects of the movement 
be disseminated among the masses." 

4th. — "That the Committee be likewise instructed to communicate 
with the Clergy in all parts of the country, and to urge on them the 
necessity of bringing the reformation under the notice of their flocks." 

5 th. — " That a Petition from this meeting in favour of the proposed 
Church Reform Bill, of which a draft is given in Essay No. 1 of the 
Reformation Society, be presented to the Queen, the Convocation, and 
to both Houses of Parliament." 

" The world-wide subject of Mr. Alison's Lectures last week may 
well beget a spirit of sound enquiry among the nations of Europe and 
America, in the present critical position of affairs. Even Englishmen 
must be taught to think, for it may be that the changes going on 
abroad may very soon produce troublesome times in England ; and 
if the learned lecturer should succeed in stirring up the dormant 
spirit of the Nation, he will do us all a service which shall never 
be forgotten. A new thing has happened in this dull world of ours. 
Protestants, Catholics, Churchmen and Dissenters have met together, 
and after hearing the Articles of Belief of the Reformation Society 
read over, they vote together in accepting them, and of petitioning 
the Crown and Parliament to convert them into law ! All parties are 
now convinced that a Reformation is indispensable ; and as sound- 
minded men fear that there are breakers ahead, if the American War 
is to go on, they hail the new movement as one that is well timed, 
and the guarantee of future peace. It will be observed that along 
with the Religious reformation is associated a Political reformation. 
The government is to be reformed ; and that is expected to produce a 
saving of twelve millions sterling per annum — a sum sufficient to repeal 
the Tea Duties and the Income Tax ! In accepting these reforms 
all men are agreed ; and we hope the Lancashire and Yorkshire men, 
who have promised to Mr. Alison to raise a subscription of one 
hundred thousand pounds, to be presented to the committees of the 
Reformation Societies, on the completion of their glorious scheme, will 
soon be called on for the money. The boon of a General Reforma- 
tion will be cheaply purchased at ten thousand times that amount, and 
we say the sooner the purchase is completed the better. There is 
1st, Personal Reform; 2nd, Church Reform; and 3rd, Government 
Reform ; and these movements must all go on simultaneously, for without 
the first, the two last could not be carried out in their integrity. We 
have all been waiting for a new movement, and now we have got one 
equal to the requirements of the age." — Scarborough Times. 



IX 



IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY. 



We purpose, within the compass of a single chapter, to offer such 
remarks on the manners, habits, and customs of Society as may be 
calculated to improve them, With this object, we shall treat of the 
various motives of human action under different heads, which may serve 
as rules of thought, speech, and action. The following table is printed 
in double columns — on the one side are the practice of Nature, and 
on the other, Civilization. We hope, by these rules, to deliver the 
great subject of Human Nature, which has hitherto been considered an 
inexplicable riddle, from much of its mystery and difficulty. Should 
we succeed in our object, the complete emancipation of Society from the 
tyranny of ignorance and delusion will be achieved — a result devoutly 
to be desired. 



NATURE. 

1. Selfishness or Malevolence. 

2. Pride, Haughtiness, Conceit, & Vanity. 

3. Dishonesty, Falsehood, and Cheating. 

4. Envy and Jealousy. 

5. Hatred, Malice, and Evil Speaking. 

6. Hypocrisy. 

7. False Indignation. 

8. Anger and Bad Temper. 

9. Resentment, Retaliation, and Revenge. 

10. Evil Conscience. 

11. Unreasonable Wishes. 
18. Discontent and Disappointment. 

13. Prejudice. Obstinacy. 

14. Scepticism, Irreligion. 

15. Love of Evil. 

16. Pain and Regret. 

17. Love Marriages. 

18. Love of children. 
10. Dress and parade. 

20. Good living. 

21. Love of money. 

22. Amusements. 

23. Fashion, Indolence. 

24. Bad Manners, Vulgarity. 

25. Melancholy and Despair. 
20. The Natural Soul — a Wilderness. 

These are the Natural Passions or 
affections, before they have been acted 
on by Reason and Experience. 

1. Selfishness. — We shall now proceed to comment on the most im- 
portant of these rules, and we shall begin with Selfishness, and its 
opposite Benevolence. Selfishness produces Pride, Haughtiness, and 
contempt of others. It depresses and persecutes others in order to exalt 
itself and is the parent of Envy and Jealousy. A selfish person only 
thinks of himself, and his own desires. All his feelings are bestowed 
on his own family and connexions, his own town, parish or county, and 
his own profession and hobbies. This is Nature in its rude beginnings, 
for it cannot be called Civilization, which is built on principle and 



1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

0. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
1C. 
17. 
18. 
10. 
20. 
21. 
22. 
23. 
24. 
25. 
2G. 



CIVILIZATION. 

Benevolence, Absence of Selfishness. 

Respect for others Nobleness. 

Integrity and Fairness. 

Kindness and Forgiveness. 

Liberality. 

Sincerity. 

Righteous Indignation. 

Good Temper. 

Patience and Forbearance. 

Good Conscience. 

Moderate Wishes and xVspirations. 

Happiness and Contentment. 

Conviction of Truth. 

Love of God, Religion. 

Love of Good. 

Pleasure, Satisfaction. 

Suitable Marriages. 

Moderation. 

Plainness and Simplicity. 

Moderation. 

Money not the chief aim. 

Amusements in moderation. 

Self-Reliance, Intelligence. 

Gentility and Good Manners. 

Hope and Gladness. 

The Regenerated Soul — a Garden. 



The Regenerated Passions or Affections, 
after they have been acted on by Reason 
and Experience. 



X IMPROVEMENT OP SOCIETY. 

generalization, the opposite of selfishness. The selfish would not care 
though the whole world were destroyed or ruined, so they and theirs 
were saved. On the contrary, some would even delight in a catastrophe 
which might exalt themselves by the depression of others. While 
Selfishness is the bane of society, Benevolence is its life and soul. 
Benevolence is the salt of the earth, without which society must go to 
decay. Man is born to love, and those who have nothing on which to 
place their affections but evil are to be pitied. Let us hope that the 
good and the noble will show themselves, and they will leaven the whole 
mass with a new and better spirit than that which now governs society. 

2. Pride and Haughtiness. — These feelings are built upon the 
assumption that we are better than our neighbours. That feeling causes 
us to look down with contempt on others. Pride depends on self-decep- 
tion, for the moment that the knowledge of truth comes in, pride 
goes out. Where talents and excellence are, there envy and jealousy 
point their poisoned darts. The cultivation of the good feelings can 
alone reduce these evil feelings. Why envy the good and noble, when 
you can be as good and noble as they, if you will do as they have 
done, and cultivate the better feelings ? 

3. Integrity. — If an honest man is the noblest work of God, a dis- 
honest man is the vilest. That honesty is the best policy is a truth no 
less certain, for dishonesty not only mars the countenance, but vilifies 
the conscience, and renders happiness and peace an impossibility. 
What but happiness is the object of all ? and instead of dishonesty 
bringing that, it sends it away. These, and many other truths we have 
to speak of, are truisms, but that is no reason why they should not be 
reiterated in the hearing for all, but the reverse, for we are apt to forget 
the rudiments of morality from their very commonness. 

4. Hypocrisy. — The hypocrite is a self-deluded man, and when he 
meets with anything which convicts him of error, which is a constant 
occurrence, indignation and anger are the necessary result. We have 
no pity for the pain which such men suffer, for it is all their own fault. 
Let them correct their opinions, and they will be freed from their 
sufferings. 

5. Liberality. — Nobleness of character we have defined to be, 
respect for others. This is the essence of the christian character, and 
who is able to do justice to its claims on the human mind ? He is our 
father, and brother, and child, who is able to overcome self-love, and feel 
the same respect for others that he has for himself. Ignorance is the 
chief cause why Liberality, that noblest of faculties, is not more general, 
for we cannot love what we do not know. 

7. Indignation. — This faculty is at the command of the bad feelings, 
as well as the good feelings. The indignation of the mobs of Paris, at 
the Revolution of 1789, was an instance of vicious indignation ; and the 
indignation of a court at the conviction of crime, an instance of a righ- 
teous indignation. Devotion is no test of religion — neither is indignation 
any test of crime. 

8. Temper. — Anger, hatred, and malice, are the attributes of a bad 
temper. What but self-love and pride is the cause of this consum- 
mation of wickedness ? To such persons we say — Cultivate the good 
feelings ; and all that is necessary to that, is, to free your mind from 



IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY. XI 

ignorance and delusion. Instead of turning away from truth, boldly 
face it, and you will reap the rewards of peace and contentment. 

10. Evil Conscience. — To those whose affections are set on evil, 
the conscience is in a diseased state ; this is shown when we become 
indignant of the good and noble. Conscience, in a healthy state, is the 
perceiver of truth, but when the necessary knowledge is withheld, it 
cannot perceive truth, and consequently the conscience follows the 
natural tendency and bent of the mind, irrespective of truth. The 
remedy for a weak and defective conscience, is, to go boldly forward to 
the truth, and then the conscience will be renovated, along with the 
other, faculties of the mind. 

11. Unreasonable Wishes. — To aspire to that which nature cannot 
give, is to condemn ourselves to disappointment and unhappiness. 
Nothing is so miserable as the life of a discontented and disappointed 
man. Knowledge is power, and the more real knowledge we acquire, 
the more power we have. In this way our wishes may be moderated, 
when disappointment will give place to contentment and happiness. 

13. Obstinacy. — When the mind is biassed in favour of that which 
is wrong, we submit to the tyranny of prejudice. Here, again, know- 
ledge of truth is the sure and certain remedy. The way to cure our- 
selves of this bad habit is, to practise giving in whenever we are wrong. 
A fortnight's moral drill will cure the most obstinate person of the 
habit. Only learn to say, M I see you are in the right," and the cure 
is complete. It is pride that makes us " although convinced, argue 
still ;" and, although the habit is strong and powerful, yet we know of 
nothing that is easier of cure, for, once the habit is broken, it is impos- 
sible to revive it. Such is the nature of light, for, once it is admitted, 
darkness is gone for ever. 

14. Irreligion. — Where there is no belief in the existence of truth 
and justice, there can be no feeling of Responsibility, and where that is 
wanting, there is no religion. The religious man is a believer in truth, 
and to believe in truth and its author is to love God. Without the 
restraints of religion to exercise an authority over us, man is like a ship 
at sea without a rudder ; but with religion as his friend and support, he 
can ride out the storms of life in peace and confidence. 

15. Love of Evil. — The cause of this scourge of the human race, 
is the want of the knowledge of Good. We must love something, and 
when knowledge of Good is wanting, we love Evil. Nothing is easier 
than to set this affection right. We can improve the preaching of the 
pulpit, and we rejoice to say that this great reformation will now be 
accomplished, when the Love of Truth will govern the world. 

16. Pleasure and Pain. — These powerful feelings are ordained so 
that all the Works and Laws of God might have the tendency to good and 
perfection. Pleasure follows a good and noble action, and pain a bad or 
disreputable action. It is true that pain often follows from acts which 
cannot be called either good or bad. This shows that we ought to look 
to all our thoughts and doings, seeing that errors in these things produce 
the pain of regret. We may rely upon it that we cannot neglect even 
common things without offending the Laws which are the Will of God. 

17. Marriage. — The most important act of life is, in most cases, 
determined by Impulse and Self- Will. Instead of making love the 



Xll IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY. 

motive for marriage, " suitability " ought to be the object. Love is 
blind. What is the cause of bad temper but ignorance and delusion ? 
and if that be so, then blind love is one cause of temper. How often do 
we hear the remark, that the greater the love, the readier people are to 
quarrel. If people would marry for Good Sense and the Domestic 
Virtues, they would place their happiness on a more stable foundation 
than mere love. In one respect, love may be considered a weakness, 
for when the reasoning powers are strong, love is changed into a 
sentiment. Ordinary love is an instinct rather than a sentiment, and 
as man advances in civilization the dominion of instinct decreases. If 
we could tell the tale of disappointments which have followed > love 
matches we should fill volumes, but we trust we have said enough to 
show that other motives besides love ought to govern marriage. 

18. Love of Children. — This feeling, which is likewise an instinct, 
must not be carried too far. Many parents make themselves slaves to 
their families, by allowing these feelings to govern them. This weak- 
ness not only spoils the children, but is fatal to the peace and happiness 
of the parents. In remote districts of the country, and particularly in 
many parts of Scotland and Ireland, the home affections are carried to 
such excess, that the children are not allowed to leave home, until 
after they have acquired habits of idleness which they are never after- 
wards able to overcome. 

19. Dress and Parade. — Nothing shows an empty mind more than 
the love of dress and show. Plainness and simplicity are the attributes 
of good taste. Where the mind is vulgar and uncultivated, the taste is 
bad, and runs into show and extravagance. The remedy for this evil is 
the cultivation of the mind, which will purify the taste. Real educa- 
tion will save the pockets of fathers and husbands to an extent they 
little imagine. 

20. Good Living. — The mark of civilization is to eat little and 
seldom. This habit of moderation in eating gives time and capacity to 
attend to the duties of life, which the habit of constant eating does 
not. Eating is necessary, but instead of making that the object of life, 
we must keep it in subordination to the numerous calls of duty which 
otherwise must either be very imperfectly fulfilled, or entirely neglected. 
Some people can do nothing without eating and drinking. When any 
business is to be done, we say — work first, and then eat ; for work is 
the object, and eating can be attended to afterwards. In country 
houses, the clock-work return of meals is a perfect nuisance. It is a 
tyranny which interferes with every rational employment and enjoy- 
ment, and we hope these hints may have some effect in reducing an evil 
which exists, more or less, in every class of society. 

21. Love of Money. — The love of knowledge and moral worth 
having gone out, the love of money has come in. It is imagined that 
money can give everything, but those who talk in that way only show 
their ignorance. Money can only give food, house, and clothing, and 
that most people have whether rich or poor. Money cannot elevate the 
character or improve the habits and tastes. Depend upon it, that a well 
regulated mind is greater riches than all the treasures of the Indies ; 
for, while moral worth can give happiness and contentment, money can 
give neither. 



IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY. Xlll 

22. Amusements. — So utterly aimless has life become from the 
want of moral worth, that amusement has come to be the sole aim of 
life. Money-making is the means, amusement the end of existence. 
Yes, society has come to that, and of all things amusement and plea- 
sure are the most deceitful. Of all the parties, balls, and excursions 
that take place, how many produce pleasure, and how many pain and 
disappointment. Let the votaries of pleasure answer that question, and 
they will see the folly of such things. The more amusement is 
stimulated by excursion trains and holidays the more will the love 
of money and the dislike of labour and diligence increase. 

23. Fashion. — To follow the leaders of Fashion, requires no thought 
and involves no responsibility, it is therefore the course taken by the 
vulgar, who have no capacity for any higher course of action. To act 
independently of the tyranny of fashion, Self-Reliance is requisite, and 
that involves thought and discernment. The victim of Fashion is a 
slave, but the man of moral worth and character is free-born. The one 
is the sport of every silly story he hears, the other knows what to 
believe and what to reject. The one declines, while the other is always 
advancing in knowledge and virtue. These are the two sides of the 
picture, and we leave our readers to take their choice. 

The Manly Character (Self-Reliance) is the manhood of Civilization. 
Fear not, therefore, to be called eccentric or peculiar, for, to think and 
act independently, you must be called such. Fear rather to be called a 
copyist or an imitator. To follow the fashion, as a flock of sheep follow 
their leaders, is the act of the crowd, but those who rise above medi- 
ocrity avoid the crowd and act for themselves. By following public 
opinion rather than the dictates of our own thoughts we pass life in a 
vain show, neither changing nor learning anything, and no faculty to 
know good from evil, or true from false, is created within us. 

24. Good Manners. — Mental culture accompanied by experience pro- 
duces good taste, and that is the parent of gentility and good manners. 
Birth or riches have therefore nothing whatever to do with gentility. 
We shall often have occasion to deplore the moral dwarfage of the men 
and women of our day, and the want of Good Manners, which is daily 
increasing, confirms all we have said. Where there is no moral culture 
there can be no manners, except such as are hypocritical, artificial, and 
superficial. Good manners are essential to the comfort and happiness 
of society, but before society can enjoy that luxury, a reformation in all 
that affects the thoughts and actions must be carried out. The more 
we see of the progress of the reformation, the more do we perceive that 
there is no difficulty in the way, as we have not found any, either high 
or low, who are not ready to accept the reformed principles when 
explained to them. 

25. Melancholy. — To take an interest in self-reformation is the best 
antidote for melancholy. Reformation being the first principle of life, it 
is an object which may be extended over the whole term of life. We 
never can become weary in well-doing, and where progress is there can 
be no melancholy. Occupation removes melancholy, and as reformation 
must not be confined to reading and contemplation, but be accompanied 
by action, an everlasting fund of joy and confidence is opened up to the 
soul by the new reformation. We have often wondered why weeping 



XIV IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY. 

should be so common among the women and even among the men. Bo 
those who give way to such folly know that tears are the letting down 
of the whole moral system, for the more we give way to crying, the 
weaker we become. Manliness (self-reliance) and not effeminacy 
(fashion) must now be the object of both sexes, for nothing but loss can 
result from encouraging indolence and weakness of any kind. Be 
strong, therefore, and you will rejoice all your days. 

26. The Soul. — The object of existence is the enlargement and 
improvement of the soul. God did not give the soul or cultivated mind 
originally, for his purpose was to produce that out of its own experience. 
But if we neglect this duty of cultivating the mind, the object of the 
world is entirely lost. A soul in the state of nature can scarcely be 
called a soul at all, for it is only a desert and a wilderness, producing 
nettles and sour fruit. The Cultivated Soul, on the other hand, is a 
garden, which yields the fruits of righteousness. 

The Emperor Augustus laid it down as a rule never to go to 
war unless the chances of gain exceeded the chances of loss. The 
result of following this wise policy was a peace which continued all 
his reign, extending over a period of forty years. The reason why 
the Temple of Janus was shut by Augustus, and continued closed for 
forty years, almost for the first time in the history of ancient times, was 
the wisdom and moderation of the Emperor, and not from any other 
cause. The lesson we draw from this bright example is, to adopt 
" Self-interest," as our rule in determining all questions of Peace or 
War; To go to war to vindicate our honor, would certainly not be our 
interest. What is usually taken for honor and glory is, the ravings 
of those who neither know nor care for the interest of the nations 
which are to be sacrificed, so that their own personal feelings may 
be gratified. The history of England is filled with instances of Wars 
begun and carried on, on no better principle than false honor and 
glory, and the disastrous result of such Wars has been the destruction 
of life and property without anything to set against it. But there 
is another power which is supposed to govern Peace and War inde- 
pendent of all that mortal man can do. That power is sometimes 
called Fate, sometimes Predestination, and sometimes Fortune, Destiny, 
or Necessity. 

The Greeks and Romans believed in Fortune, which was another 
name for Predestination. The Christians and Mahometans believe in 
Predestination, and the Rationalists in Fate and Necessity. We know 
of no church or party which believe in Free- Will — a statement 
which will surprise many of our readers, but, on reflection it will be 
found to be literally correct ! Now, what is the truth. Are all things 
governed by Predestination? for, if that is true, there is no use to 
attempt to make or prevent war, as that will come or go whatever 
we may do. Now that is utter folly, for it is Man, and not God, who 
makes War. Any other belief than Free- Will, is opposed to the very 
existence of Religion and Responsibility. Until we give up all such 
false notions as to the causes of wars there can be no end of war and 
misery in the world, for, so long as we believe that we have no power 
to prevent war, of course war will continue. 



IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY. XV 

We must be honest and consistent in our belief, or all our knowledge 
will go for nothing. Let us not believe in Free- Will in the abstract, 
and disbelieve it in its applications. It is our own evil passions which 
cause war, and if we wish to see war prevented we have only to act 
upon principle and disregard the dictates of feeling and passion. War 
then is the rule of the evil passions or nature, and Peace the rule of 
the intellect or civilization. 

The power of thinking has very much gone off. We are so ac- 
customed to read the opinions of the press instead of thinking for 
ourselves, that we have insensibly lost the power of thought. This 
fact shows how necessary it is to make the press a responsible insti- 
tution like any other institution of the country, for on it depends the 
welfare of our country. We know of no class who read books of any 
real value, except those who are obliged to read them in carrying out 
their profession. Literature — what has it come to ! Write anything 
of value, and not a publisher will look at it. But write trash, and the 
greater trash the better, and they will speak to you. Yes, the people 
have ceased to have the taste for real knowledge of any kind. Money 
and amusement is all they appreciate, and real knowledge does not give 
that of a kind which they can appreciate. 

America boasts of her ten thousand newspapers and periodicals, and 
they have proved so many deceivers, which have brought their country 
to the verge of ruin. In England we are fast following the footsteps 
of America, and we shall now state the reason. The Press, as it is 
now constituted, is an irresponsible body. There is no check upon it, 
and no encouragement to prefer good to evil. The consequence is, 
that for the most part, the press is governed by passion and self-will ! 
The only remedy for this fearful evil — which is common to all the 
nations of Europe, as well as of America; — is a censorship. We do 
not mean direct interference of any kind, but an authorized journal, to 
comment, weekly, on the opinions of the press, as they appear. Let 
the Moniteur of Paris, the London Gazette, and the government paper 
of every other country devote a portion of their " non-official " space 
to the criticism of the opinions of the press, and that will raise up an 
independent and responsible press, worthy of the age in which we live. 
License is not liberty, and when the errors of our press are reviewed 
as they ought to be, we shall be able to judge the right and wrong of 
everything. 

The New World, owing to the rapid decline of morality and civiliza- 
tion, which has been silently sapping the foundations of society, is in a 
state of collapse. But for the able generalship of the ruler of the 
French people, the Old World would have been in the same position, 
and if anything should happen to Napoleon before something be done 
in the way of reformation, European civilization will follow the sad 
course it has taken in America. In these grave circumstances we shall 
act wisely if we hasten to build up new institutions fitted to the extra- 
ordinary exigencies of the times, to take the place of the old institutions 
which have spent their force and are ready to die. Let the English 
Government proceed to the election of a public critic. Let this public 
servant be liberally paid for his work, and let him be held responsible 
for all his writings. If the appointments to this new office are made 



XVI IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY. 

annually, the public will be in a position to make new appointments 
whenever they please, so that public opinion will always be able to 
exercise a proper control. 

The necessary result of fashion is to make all men alike, but that is 
not civilization but a return to nature. Progress in civilization comes 
exclusively from individual thought and action. Look at the rise of 
civilization in any state, and you will find it came from individual action, 
but so long as public opinion and fashion are so powerful as they have 
become in our day, there can be no heroism or individual action. Look 
at the origin of any reformation. It begins with one individual. The 
present movement began with Mr. Alison. When he began, there was 
not a single person to agree with him ; the New Reformation is conse- 
quently as much a discovery to the world as the discovery of the planet 
Neptune. This fact is sufficient of itself to dispel the idea that in 
moral things there can be nothing new. The idea is utterly absurd, for 
if there could be nothing new in morals, there can be nothing new in 
physics. A nation is made up of parts, and unless the parts grow, the 
nation cannot grow. There may be leaves, but examine society closely 
and there is no fruit. Test Public Opinion and Fashion by their fruit, 
and you will know of what value they are. 

The grand secret of success in life is to go slow. Be quick and 
diligent to execute, but slow to design. Always enquire, read, and 
think before you decide. What would you think of a judge who 
decided a case before he heard the witnesses ? and yet that is the course 
which most men and women take in the affairs of life. They decide 
first, and then enquire. How can we expect success, when we act on a 
principle which can only produce disappointment. When men rise to 
eminence, it is not in consequence of mental ability, but solely by using 
the method of thinking first, and after that, deciding. First im- 
pressions are supposed to be best, but that is the language of nature 
not of reason, for first impressions must be wrong if we decide before 
we read or listen. 

We have now completed our survey of the motives, habits, and 
thoughts of human nature. We have endeavoured to show what is 
wrong and what is right, and how the former may be reduced to the 
latter. It is a new attempt, and we have done our best to ensure 
success, but no doubt the picture will contain faults. These we hope 
to correct and perfect as we proceed in these Essays, for as yet we 
know but in part. On a subject which comes within the experience of 
all, we hope our readers will assist us with any suggestions that may 
occur to them, that our future Essays may have the benefit of their 
experience. Our wish is to gather in the opinions of all, and give 
them forth to the world in a condensed form in the present publication. 
Already we have received valuable assistance from our friends, and we 
hope to receive more as we proceed. 

The beginning of all reformations is to know the truth, for pride 
and self-conceit must be humbled, to make room for the new prin- 
ciples. If the mystery which has always surrounded the subject of 
the Passions is now dissipated in any considerable degree, we may rest 
assured that the end of the kingdom of Satan, which is DARKNESS, 
is near at hand. 



PREFACE. 



We live in extraordinary times. Since the world began, perhaps 
there was never a time in which such great changes were in progress as 
now. In England we have a moral and religious reformation. In 
France the same progress is making. In Italy a political reformation 
has just been consummated, which is, doubtless, the forerunner of a 
corresponding religious advance. In Prussia a religious reformation 
is imminent, and as for Austria, she is about to become the scene 
of vast changes. 

If we now pass into Asia, we find Turkey in a very unsettled state. 
It is the same with India, and as for China, if we may accept the late 
manifesto of the new King of Nankin as sincere, of which we have no 
reason to doubt, the Christian Religion is about to supplant the 
Idolatrous Churches of the East. Such is the transition state of the 
Old World, and the same may be said of the New World. The great 
American Republic has just been broken up ; and looking to the 
corruptions which that Confederation has produced, we recognise in 
that catastrophe the precursor of a great Reformation, political and 
moral. Such are times in which we live, and in now attempting to give 
consistency to the Moral and Religious movement going on amongst 
ourselves, we trust we shall not be accused of entering the field a 
moment sooner than the times demand. 

We have been told that the World is not yet far enough advanced 
for a True Church, and that we ought to wait until it is better prepared 
for a reformation, before we propose one ; but that is obviously a 
fallacy ; for who can believe without a preacher ? The mission of 
reformers is both to prepare the soil and sow the seed ; for it is 
impossible that the Church and the World can be improved, unless 
reformers come forward to tell the truth, and so produce a reformation. 



PREFACE. 

We have had no reformers since the times of Granmer, Ridley, and 
Latimer, but now the good work of reformation is happily renewed. We 
have hewn out to ourselves broken cisterns, which can hold no water ; 
and now, in our necessity, we are obliged to replace the faulty vessels 
with such as may be good and true. Whether we look at the Church, 
at Politics, at Literature, at Education, at Commerce, or at anything 
else, we find nothing but disappointment, and hopeless complications. 
The universal cry is for a Reformation ; and to the call, " who will 
show us any good ? " we cannot turn an inattentive ear. We have 
faith in Truth, and in the capacity of Man to receive it when it is 
fairly brought under his notice, and although the work we have under- 
taken be an arduous one, we feel assured, that if we use the means at 
our command, we shall reap the desired harvest. 

Rome was not built in a day ; neither will error and evil be rooted 
out all at once, but we shall plant the seeds of reformation deep in the 
ground, and if we do not see the work finished, we shall have the 
consolation of knowing that we have done our duty, in bequeathing 
to our children a legacy of which they shall reap the fruits. 

It will be observed, that the "New Reformation" is altogether Con- 
servative, for true reform is only another word for true conservatism ; 
and, trusting to the righteousness of our cause, and the good sense and 
public spirit of the people of England, we respectfully submit these 
pages to their consideration. 

25, Conduit Street, London, 

February \Qth, 1861. 



THE NEW REFORMATION SOCIETY. 



CHAPTEK I. 

ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC. 

This Society has been formed for the purpose of promoting a General 
Reformation throughout the United Kingdom and the Colonies. The 
want of an institution of this kind has long been felt, for none of 
the existing Societies occupy a field of operations sufficiently wide to 
meet the daily increasing wants of the country. This great movement 
may be said to have arisen from three distinct causes, all of which 
have come from the prolonged absence of Reform of the Articles 
of Religion. The first Cause is the rapid progress of Supernaturalism 
and Puritanism among the middle and industrial classes, of which the 
Revival Movement, as it is called, is the evidence. The next cause is 
one in the opposite direction, namely, the progress of Necessitarianism 
and Rationalism among a portion of the higher classes. The third 
cause is the unsatisfactory state of our Ecclesiastical and Educational 
establishments, which cannot be improved until a general Reformation 
is produced in the public mind in the direction of Unity and Concord. 

The principles of the Society are, the recognition of the Authority 
and Inspiration of Scripture, and of the Divinity of Christ. 
Occupying an independent position, we shall act impartially towards 
all parties. Having no party objects to serve, we shall feel ourselves 
at liberty to communicate freely with all parties, with the object of 
uniting them on the neutral ground of Reform. 

The Society will co-operate with kindred societies throughout 
England, Scotland, Ireland, and the Colonies, with the object of 
producing a simultaneous and harmonious movement among all classes 
and denominations of Protestants. Although the Society's operations 
will be exclusively confined to the Established Church, yet as all 
churches have a direct interest in the Reform of the National Faith, 
Protestants of all denominations are expected to take part in the 
movement. 

The Constitution of the Church comprises, first, the Thirty-nine 
Articles, containing the Creed of the Church; second, the Prayer Book, 
comprising the Services of the Church ; and third, the Canons, or 
the Acts of the Crown and Convocation, constituting the Church. 
To begin right, is almost to end right; and in beginning with the reform 



4 ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC. 

of the Articles, which form the basis of the Church's Constitution, the 
remedy will be applied at the source from which all the evils which 
afflict the Church spring. 

Immediately after the passing of the Church Reform Bill by the 
Crown and Parliament, the Society will take up the subject of Reforms 
in the Prayer Book, Services, and Canons. They will likewise turn 
their attention to Educational Reform ; but until the Reform Bill of 
the Articles is passed, it would be premature to enter on these subjects. 
It will be observed, that the movement is entirely a religious one, 
and in no respect political. This is a hopeful circumstance ; for, 
although the necessary changes are great and numerous, yet, owing to 
their non-political character, there is the prospect of the Bill passing 
through Parliament with the consent of all parties. We desire no 
controversy or agitation, and unless the opponents of Reform provoke 
such, there will be none. 

Prevention is ever better than Cure, and the new Reformation is 
essentially preventive. We spend above six millions annually on our 
poor, raised by compulsory assessment, and double that sum by voluntary 
contributions. We spend some millions on our courts of justice and 
reformatories, many millions on superfluous drinkables, several millions 
on hospitals and such-like, and a sum more than all these twice told, on 
useless schemes arising from ignorance and delusion. We do not say 
that the whole of this vast expenditure of capital will be saved by the 
reformation, but this we may say, that a moiety of these sums will 
certainly be saved when our moral and religious creeds are placed on 
the basis of liberty and truth. 

Incredulity has often deprived the world of untold riches, and in 
now asking the public to place faith in Truth and Justice, and in the 
bountiful provisions of Providence, we feel assured that the result, great 
and glorious as it may be, will not fall short of all we have said. Let 
it not be imagined that we are increased with goods and have need of 
nothing more ; for while the few are rich the many are poor, and in 
advocating the claims of the Reformation we seek not the interests 
of those who have need of nothing, but rather of those who are in want 
of all things, for Religion and Civilization will not be complete until 
their blessings are extended to all classes of the community. 

The Revenue of the Society will be derived from the sale of the books 
and tracts which it proposes to publish, and from voluntary subscriptions 
which already amount to a sum sufficient to meet preliminary expenses. 
General meetings of the Society will be called from time to time, of 
which due notice will be given by advertisement. The object of the 
first meeting will be, to elect office-bearers, and to appoint a 
committee to draw up the Revised Articles of Religion to be attached 
to the proposed Bill. Gentlemen in London and elsewhere, desiring 
to join the Society, are requested to send in their names by letter, 
to the Secretary, Mr. M. W. Miles, at the Society's Office. 

The Reform of the Church will be the counterpart of all the Reforms 
carried out during the last forty years — a consummation which will 
perhaps be recognised by succeeding generations as the Magna Charta 
of England's Religious Liberty. If we may estimate the good 



ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC. 5 

results of this great Reformation by the importance of the changes 
proposed, and the ages which have elapsed before the proposal could 
be made with any prospect of success, we may be assured that they will 
exceed all that the heart of man can conceive. 

London, December 18M, 1860. 



CHURCH REFORM BILL. 

Draft of an Act of the Crown, to amend an Act of the Crown, 
passed in the Reign of James the First, 1603, anent the 
affairs of the Church. 

VICTORIA, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of 
Great Britain and Ireland, in virtue of our Prerogative Royal 
in Causes Ecclesiastical, and with the advice and consent of the 
Archbishop of Canterbury, and other Bishops and Clergy of the 
Church, Do hereby Ordain and Decree, subject to the consent of 
the Houses of Parliament, the Reformation of the Thirty-nine 
Articles of the Church, and that in the manner following : — 

First. That in place of the Thirty-nine Articles, originally en 
acted by Henry VIII, amended and re-enacted by Elizabeth in 1571, 
and finally ordained by James I, in 1603, the Thirty-nine New 
Articles annexed hereto shall henceforth constitute the Creed of the 
Church. 

Second. That after the Ratification of this Act by Convocation and 
Parliament, no Clergyman shall be admitted to Orders until he has 
first subscribed the New Articles. 

Third. Notwithstanding the subscriptions to the Articles, the 
Clergy shall be entitled to hold their own private opinions (the right of 
private judgment), so that those private opinions do not amount to 
a practical nullification of the Articles as a whole. 

Lastly. It shall be competent to the Clergy now in Orders to 
subscribe the "New Articles," and thereby free themselves from the 
obligations of their present subscriptions ; but those Clergymen who 
prefer to hold the Old Articles shall be entitled to do so, in which case, 
such Clergymen shall not be bound by the "New Articles," but 
remain bound by the Old Articles. 

FORM OF PETITION TO PARLIAMENT. 

To the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, (and a 
Petition to the House of Commons to the same effect.) 

Humbly Sheweth — 
Your petitioners, inhabitants of the City (or Borough, or Parish) 
of are of opinion that the time has come for a complete 

Reformation of the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church, so a& to place 
the National Faith on a basis more in harmony with Scripture and 
Experience, than is the case with the existing Articles. 



6 THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES. 

Your Petitioners believe that when the Thirty-nine Articles are 
reformed on the principles contained in the publications of the Refor- 
mation Society of London, those Religious Animosities, so destructive 
of independent thought and of social peace and liberty, would be 
entirely removed. 

Your petitioners further believe, that the reform of the Articles, in 
restoring unity and concord to the Church, would open the way for 
those Reforms in the Prayer Book and Services, and in the Educational 
Institutions of the Country, on which the further progress of Religion 
and Civilisation seems to depend. 

May it therefore please your Honourable House, to take this 
important matter into consideration, and to lay a Petition before Her 
Gracious Majesty, praying her to take such steps as she may think fit, 
for the Reformation of the Thirty-nine Articles, upon the principles 
herein set forth. And your petitioners will ever pray, &c. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES. 

" Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward." 

The Church is the only unreformed portion of the State ; for since 
1559, when Elizabeth came to the throne, it has not been reformed. 
Now as the Church happens to be the chief element in Civilization, 
our attention must be mainly directed to it ; for to reform the Church 
as it ought to be reformed, is almost to reform and complete Civilization. 
It is clear that we must look to the Laity, in the first instance, for 
Church reform. If a Catholic writes on the Church, he only magnifies 
the infallibility of his own Church ; and if a Protestant writes, he 
advocates the views of his own party. 

Religious Animosities have for the most part extinguished all 
independent thought. To remain blind to our own faults, and alive to 
the faults of others, is the characteristic of our times. Before this 
morbid state of the public mind can be improved, men must be taught 
to distinguish truth from error. When men begin to correct their own 
opinions, by thinking independently and without reference to this creed 
or that, they will see less to complain of in others, and thus will tolera- 
tion and love be increased. True religion teaches Love to others, and 
seeing that Religion has hitherto taught men rather to dislike each 
other, we have a practical proof that something is radically wrong. 
With this fact before us, surely we must be blind indeed if we see not 
in a New Reformation the germ of a bright future in the history of this 
country. If there was no such thing as Truth, and if every man was not 
endowed with the faculty of perceiving Truth when fairly brought 
under his notice, there would be no remedy for Erroneous Opinions ; 
but seeing that Truth is a reality, there is no excuse for the present 
non-progressive state of Civilization. 



THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES. 7 

Mr. Baden Powell says that no man can prove a Miracle of the Bible. 
But as he might as truly say that no man can disprove a Miracle, the 
statement goes for nothing. To go into historical questions such as 
these, is only to take up the attention of the Church, with that which 
cannot possibly be settled one way or the other ; and instead of such 
a course leading to concord and unity, it must have the,, opposite effect. 
It is strange that discussions on Religion should have always turned on 
the question whether the Bible be a revelation from God, or not, — of 
which Paley's Evidences, down to Rawlinson's Bampton's Lectures, are 
examples — and not on the question of Doctrine. Whether this be 
accidental, or done with the object of diverting attention from the 
question of Reform of Doctrine, we cannot say ; but whether it be acci- 
dental or intentional, one thing is certain — that it has had the effect of 
keeping the World in the dark as to its true interests. 

There are two ideas which very few minds can take in at the same 
time. One is, that Scripture is an inspiration of G-od ; and the other, 
that man may have misrepresented, misinterpreted, and misapplied 
Scripture. The two things are perfectly compatible, and yet we have 
seldom met any who can accept the self-evident proposition. Let the 
reader boldly examine Scripture, and he will find that he may reform 
his Creed without rejecting his Bible or his Religion. To act upon 
the principle of either accepting the Bible as it is now interpreted and 
applied, or to reject it altogether, is as illogical as to say that because 
we cannot know everything we can know nothing. Reformation is the 
course we take in every other affair of life, and why we should treat 
religion either as everything that is good and perfect, or nothing at all, 
is the greatest folly imaginable. We all know and acknowledge that 
Religion is not perfect, and that, being so, why should we refuse to 
reform and perfect it ? Why seek its destruction until we have first 
proved that it cannot be reformed ? What should we think of a politi- 
cian who assumed that the British Parliament could not be reformed, 
and who therefore proposed to abolish it ? and if that is folly, the folly 
of those who refuse to look into the facts upon which Religion stands, 
and who, in ignorance of these facts, assume that it cannot be reformed, 
is equally great. 

Three different paths are open to us. The first is to remain as we 
are, and see the World go on from one folly to another in an endless 
circle. The second is to ignore Religion altogether, and then we shall 
have the World worse than ever. The third is to keep our Bible, and 
conform our Religious belief to it, and that, we think, is the only 
course consistent with True Religion. 

At the Christian Era there existed three great parties : 1st, the 
Pharisees, whose religion was hypocrisy; 2nd, the Sadducees, whose 
religion was scepticism; and 3rd, the Christians, who took a middle 
course, rejecting hypocrisy on the one hand and scepticism on the 
other. Such was the state of the World in the first century, and it 
is practically the same now in the nineteenth century. We have 
1st, the Anti-Reform party, who are contented to remain as they are, 
and in rejecting Reform assume that they are perfect ; 2nd, the Ration- 



8 THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES. 

alist party ; and 3rd, the Reform party, who advocate a Reformation on 
the principles of the Gospel. 

The Christian Religion is a religion of love — Love to God, and Love 
to our fellow men. The Jewish Religion is a Religion of fear, on 
which the Catholic Church is built — hell-fire and purgatory being the 
great instruments used to compel obedience. The Protestant Church 
is an improvement on the Catholic Church, for it acts upon love more 
than fear ; but it is not perfect, and requires to be further reformed by 
passing more completely from fear to love. We have been accustomed 
to interpret the New Testament by the Old Bible, an error which 
almost entirely nullifies the Gospel. It is clear that we are bound to 
invert this order, and interpret the Old Testament by the Gospel. 
We all know that the last document modifies or annuls all previous 
documents in the affairs of life, and we have only to apply this 
self-evident principle in reading the two Books of Revelation, to come 
to the Knowledge of what the Christian Religion really is. 

The World was originally created Good and Perfect, as a means to 
an end, and it is left to man to develope and complete its destiny as a 
Civilized World. Original Evil, or Want, is the means by which Man 
is compelled to exert himself, and so convert an uncivilized World into 
a civilized World. Man cultivates External Nature, and turns a barren 
wilderness into a fruitful field. He cultivates the Mind, and turns a 
field overgrown with weeds into a fruitful garden. 

The doctrine of Original Sin is arrived at by reading the allegory of 
the Fall in a literal manner, but as that doctrine is opposed to the 
doctrine of the Perfection of God in goodness and power, it is necessary 
to reject it. If God could not prevent Satan from ruining mankind, 
that would indicate a want of Power, and if he did not prevent Satan's 
work, that involves the want of Goodness ; so that, in any case, the 
doctrine must be given up. As our Saviour never alludes to " Original 
Sin," it is quite certain that that doctrine forms no part of Christianity. 

It is because Church reformers ignore the question of Doctrine that 
not the slightest approach to a settlement has been made for the last 
twenty years, although compromises of every possible description have 
been offered, first by one party and then by the other. The Clergy have 
yet to learn that reform involves sacrifice ; and until all parties are 
prepared to sacrifice error on the altar of truth no progress can be made. 

This is an age o^ discovery and invention greater than that of the 
sixteenth century. Now what does all this progress mean ? Is it to 
stop here, or to carry us forward to a corresponding moral advance ? 
This question will be answered if we look to the experience of the 
past. Invention and discovery in the sixteenth century were immediately 
followed by a moral advance, — the Reformation of Luther ; and if this, 
the second age of discovery, is not followed by a second Reformation, 
such a result will be altogether opposed to experience and the natural 
sequence of cause and effect. 

On reference to an Article on "The Revival Movement," as it is 
called, in the North British Review, lately published, the fearful progress 
of that malady in all parts of the United Kingdom, will be seen. The 



THE TltOTESTANT CHURCHES. 



-Movement began in America in 1857; and crossed over to Ireland in 
the following year, and now in England and Scotland it is all but 
universal. The mind of the people is being broken down and demoralized 
by the follies of Supernaturalism, and we all know that it would require 
almost a miracle to restore minds once demoralized to a healthy state. 
Not a day must be lost to arrest the evil, and nothing can remove it but 
by placing our Articles of Belief on a basis which will give no coun- 
tenance to such false views of Religion. The Gospel is Miraculous in 
its origin, but the effect of the Gospel on the soul is natural. This fact 
proves that Conversion is not a miracle at all, but Natural. There 
being no evidence of Miracles, either internal or external, since New 
Testament times, as the doctrines of Baptismal Regeneration and Elec- 
tion involve Miraculous Conversions, they must be rejected. Love to 
Christ furnishes the motive for obedience to the precepts of the Gospel ; 
and with that Motive every man is able to work out his own Salvation, 
for there is no such thing as Miraculous Conversions. 

The fact that the Protestant Churches have not made a single Reform 
of Doctrine for the last three hundred years, proves how lifeless and 
unfruitful the Churches are. Unless we are prepared to assert that the 
Protestant Creed is perfect and free from error, what we have now said 
must be true. The fact is, Religion consists not merely in remaining 
contented with the faith we already possess, but in adding to our Faith 
new and better Doctrines, for unless the Soul grows as well as lives, it 
must be dormant and fruitless. 

To raise the Character of the Individual is the banner of the New 
Reformation. Under its influence our little men will become great, and 
our weak men strong ; strong in counsel and strong in action. The 
national character will be raised, and the influence of the Reformation 
will cross the Channel and perhaps induce other nations to follow our 
example. Controversy and War followed Luther's reformation ; but 
the New Reformation is Peace. Contradictions produce controversy 
and war, and such was the result of Luther's imperfect work. The 
first reformation was based, not on principle, but on compromise ; but 
the glory of the New Reformation is, that it is based on Truth. Such 
is the wide difference between the two reformations, and that difference 
is sufficient to account for the failure of the one and the predicted 
success of the other. 

It is not unusual to hear Evangelical preachers state from the 
pulpit, that the effect of the Gospel on the soul is wholly natural ; 
and, as for the High Church, that is the avowed doctrine of the 
party. Now, all that is wanting to produce the desired Reformation 
is, that the Church shall give its corporate sanction to that great 
doctrine, and annul all other doctrines which trench upon it. Such 
may be regarded as the dawn of the New Reformation, a great and 
glorious light, which was unknown to the Church in any former 
period of her history. The grand difficulty in all reformations is 
to find a scheme of Reform which will be generally acceptable. 
What remains after that is comparatively easy. With Books, News- 
papers, and Tracts, to publish the new principles, as seeds scattered 
broadcast over the land, a visible improvement in the Opinions and 



10 THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES. 

Manners of all classes — from the cottage up to the drawing-room — 
will speedily be effected. The tone of our pulpit ministrations will 
improve, and the character of the people will be nourished and re- 
freshed, like the land after a long and dreary winter. It was a 
glorious day when Elizabeth came to the throne, and set the conscience 
and the intellect comparatively free. It was more than a repetition 
of that day, when William III. met his people in St. James's, and 
congratulated them on their victory over Rome ; and it will be a thrice 
glorious day when Victoria enters St. Paul's and gives her hearty 
assent to a Church Reform Bill, embodying the principles of the New 
Reformation. 

The Catholics speak of the Protestants as heretics, and the Protestants 
treat the Catholics no better, for they consider the Catholics Antichrist 
and the Scarlet Lady. But this is not all, for one class of Protestants 
consider another class mere professors, devoid of all vital religion; while 
these very professors retort on their accusers that they who consider 
themselves the favourites of Heaven, are quite as insincere as them- 
selves. These being the facts of the case, we ask where does all this 
Intolerance come from ? We answer, that it arises from the prevalence 
of Error in our own opinions. Those who have no errors to uphold are 
never intolerant, for to such truth is ever pleasant and welcome ; but 
to those who indulge in error truth produces anger and resentment. 

If Devotion were the test of truth, the Irish are the most religious of 
the British people, the Scotch the next, and the English the least 
religious of all. But it is certain that "Devotion" is not a test of 
truth, for a Brahmin is more devout than a Mahometan, a Mahometan 
professedly more religious than a Catholic, and a Catholic apparently 
more pious than a Protestant. In these circumstances we must look for 
some better test than " Devotion." We should say, that the nation which 
is least Intolerant, and acts most faithfully upon the principles of 
Christianity, is the most religious. 

True Opinions produce Sincerity, or faith and practice in unison ; 
consequently error must produce hypocrisy, or faith and practice at 
variance. The reason why error produces hypocrisy, is that we cannot 
carry error into practice without being ashamed of it, we therefore cover 
over our thoughts and actions with the cloak of hypocrisy. Give us 
true and consistent opinions, and we may almost answer for it that the 
actions will be in accordance with them. It is because no Church has 
never yet adopted a creed entirely free from error, that hypocrisy so 
much abounds in the world. It therefore follows that any general im- 
provement of the world must be preceded by a reformation of doctrine. 

The Law of Toleration is as necessary to peace and progress as the 
law of jurisprudence ; and looking to the evils which the constant 
violation of that law of liberty in every age has led, — and in no age 
more than in our own, — it is to be regretted that no Court of Justice 
should have been set up to enforce obedience to it, similar to that which 
has happily been established for the protection of life and property. 
To take away a man's character or reputation because he freely 
and honestly expresses his opinions, or because he is not so great 
a hypocrite as others, is surely as great a crime as theft, for what is 



THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES. 11 

life without character ? The Conscience is the divine means for 
maintaining Toleration ; but that means is insufficient in the earlier 
stages of Civilization, for then Conscience is weak. What is the 
history of the Middle Ages but the history of wars and persecutions 
arising from Intolerance, showing how much a Court of Law, to protect 
liberty of thought and discussion, was then wanted. We do not 
propose to establish a Court of Justice for the protection of liberty of 
discussion in this country, for there is a much more simple way of 
effecting that object, — viz., the Reformation of the Thirty-nine Articles 
of the Church. When that Reform becomes the law of the land, the 
Law of Toleration will receive legislative effect, and no one will then 
have to complain of the want of Liberty of Thought and Discussion. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES. 

" Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free." 

The following extract from Mr. Alison's Work on Civilization 
places the question of Catholicism in its true light. 

" The Popedom attained the zenith of its power in 1207, in the reign 
of Innocent III., notorious for his cruelty and ambition. Then for the 
first time the Pope became a King, and claimed the sovereignty over 
Central Italy, the greater portion of which has been lost to the Church 
in our day (1860). Once more was Rome mistress of the world, 
having only exchanged the title of Emperor for that of Pope. The 
dogma on which the usurpation of Rome rests, is a saying of our 
Lord to St. Peter : " On this rock will I build my church ; and behold, 
I am with you to the end of the world." The reply to this claim is, of 
course, that the Catholic Church is not the only Church of Christ, and 
as she does not represent the Gospel in its purity, she has no right to 
take these words of our Lord to herself, far less to assume that they 
were addressed to her exclusively. But this claim is disproved by her 
own words, those of the last, the greatest, and the best of the Fathers, 
Gregory the Great. Fortunately a letter of St. Gregory remains, which 
is so important that I shall give it : — 
" ' The Bishop of Rome, to The Bishop of Constantinople. 

" ' This I declare with confidence, that whosoever designates himself 
Universal Priest, or in the pride of his heart consents to be so called, 
is the forerunner of Antichrist.' Rome, a.d. 590. 

" The Greek Church, which includes Syria and Jerusalem, existed in 
great power and splendour for centuries before the Roman Church was 
more than a mere province dependent on the Greek Church. The 
Greek Church laid claim to be a Universal or Catholic Church, and it 
was to refute that usurpation that Gregory wrote the letter I have 
quoted. That important document proves two things: 1st, that if 
there exists a Universal Church, the Greek and not the Roman, is that 



12 THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES. 

Universal Church ; and 2nd, that neither the Greek nor the Roman 
Church is entitled to assume any such authority." 

The Catholic Church, always alive to the signs of the times, will 
soon perceive that to oppose the New Reformation will be hopeless in 
her present unreformed condition. She will therefore proceed to 
reform herself. What the impending reform of the Catholic Church 
will be we cannot pretend to say ; but that it will be a great advance in 
the direction of truth and liberty there is no doubt. The extent of 
this reform will of course depend upon the character and extent of the 
Protestant Reform, for it will be such as is calculated to keep the 
Catholic Church together. While the reform of the Catholic Church 
may be expected to fall short of that of the Protestant Church, it will 
be a substantial reform; and every right-minded man will rejoice in 
such a result, although it may come short of all that is to be desired. 

We have had enough of Church controversies and wars ; let us in 
the nineteenth century be wiser in our generation than our ancestors of 
the sixteenth century. The several powers of Europe have learnt to 
live together in brotherly fellowship, although no two nations are 
equally advanced in liberty. And why should not the spiritual powers 
of Europe do the same, although no two Churches are equal in point 
of purity? There is no reason why they should not; and if the 
reformed Church acts upon its own principle of Toleration, such may 
be expected to be their policy towards their Catholic brethren. Aud 
in seeking to extend the biessings of truth and liberty to all the world, 
we shall tolerate the existence of all Churches, Sects, and Opinions. 

It is generally imagined that all reformations must in the first 
instance emanate from the people ; but when we examine history we 
find the reverse to be the fact. The Reformation of Germany in the 
sixteenth century came from the princes and statesmen of Germany, 
aided by Luther and others of the clergy ; and we all know that the 
Reformation of England commenced with the King, aided by Thomas 
Cromwell and Cranmer. This is only what was to be expected, for it 
is impossible to imagine that the people could originate anything so 
comprehensive as a general reformation. For this reason the New 
Reformation must in all probability be taken up in high quarters in 
the first instance, and from thence come down to the people. 

The temporal and spiritual powers of the Popedom came together, 
and it is most probable they will go together. It may soon be said of 
these two powers, that in their lives they have been united and in their 
deaths they are not divided. It was Hildebrand and his immediate 
successors who, in the thirteenth century, raised the Popedom to the 
height of power in spiritual and temporal things which it has ever 
since maintained. For nearly six centuries the hierarchy of Rome has 
lorded it over the consciences of Europe, and if the present opportunity 
— when the Pope is about to lose his temporal power — be allowed to 
pass, without at the same time depriving the Papacy of its power as 
Universal Priest, the reformation of Garibaldi will not be permanent. 

It will be useful to trace the probable proceedings of the Church of 
Rome under the new circumstances in which she is placed by the 
Political Reformation of 1860 on the Continent, and the Religious 



THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES. 13 

Reformation of England. Let us go back to the history of the six- 
teenth century for our materials. The Reformation of Luther began 
about the year 1518. The Council of Trent was called in 1545, for 
the purpose of reforming the Catholic Church, and after sitting for 
eighteen years, it rose in 1563. Now, what was the cause of the calling 
of this Council, but the Reformation of Luther ? In saying that the 
advent of a New Reformation will produce the calling of a General 
Council of the Catholic Church, in our day, in each of the Catholic 
Countries of Europe, we only indicate a coming event of vast 
importance to the World, which is inevitable, for a further Reform of 
one moiety of the Christian World, is certain to produce a similar result 
on the other moiety. In speaking of the " New Reformation " as 
belonging exclusively to the Protestant Church, we take a very short- 
sighted view of the movement, for it must embrace the Catholic, as well 
as the Protestant World within its grasp. Now what are the Reforms 
which the impending General Councils of the Catholic Church have 
to deal with ? We can only afford room to mention a few of them. 

The Catholics, both lay and clerical, are characterised by great 
liberality as regards Secular Knowledge, but unfortunately their Church 
possesses no Code of Articles answering to our Thirty-Nine Articles. 
The first thing, therefore, to be done is to construct and legalize a Code 
of Belief for the Catholic Church. When that is done, a mass of 
Priestly Doctrines and obsolete Rites and Ceremonies, which serve no 
other purpose but to divert the attention of the people from vital 
Religion, will pass away. The Light of the Intellect must be allowed 
to enter the Catholic Church before that Church can recover its lost 
influence over the World ; and we trust the publications of this Society 
will be useful in pointing out, from time to time, how the Catholic 
Church may be renovated and perfected. 1. The fiction as to the 
Power of the Keys must be given up, — a dogma which rests on no 
evidence whatever, and the sooner it is abandoned the better. 2. Belief 
in Modern Miracles must pass away. 3. The Priests must be allowed to 
marry, like other men. 4. The Prayer Book must be translated into the 
Modern Languages. 5. The Confessional, perhaps the worst feature that 
ever disgraced any Church, must be given up. 6. Belief in Purgatory and 
in the efficacy of Penance and Monastic Vows, must cease. 

Let not the Catholic Church boast of her antiquity, which does not ex- 
ceed ten centuries, for the Jewish Church (which still exists in undi- 
minished vigour) boasts of a history of forty centuries, proving that age is 
not a Test of Truth. The time has passed away when any Religion can 
subsist on the history of the past. A new order of things has happily 
commenced, in which the works of the Fathers will not avail. The 
Catholics have yet to learn that the future is not a mere development of 
the past. It is strange that the Catholics should have to learn this truth, 
seeing that they are believers in Free Will, and if they will only be con- 
sistent in such belief they will perceive the folly of resting their Faith 
and Church on what the Fathers have said or done. They, like the Pro- 
testants, must bring every Doctrine to the light of Truth and Evidence, 
and make the necessary reforms which such light may dictate, if they wish 
to hold their position as a Church, distinct from the Protestant Church. 



14 THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES. 

Our Catholic Brethren must be quite aware, that, in offering these 
remarks, we are animated by the best feelings towards them, for we do 
not propose a Reformation in the Catholic Church, without at the same 
time proposing that of the Protestant Church. One-fourth of Her 
Majesty's subjects are Catholics, we cannot, therefore, be indifferent to 
their interests. Although it is beyond the sphere of the Reformation 
Society to take any active steps to promote a Reformation of the 
Catholic Church, yet, at the same time, we should not feel ourselves 
justified in allowing so important an element as the Catholic Church 
to pass unnoticed. 

The reason why it is so difficult to refute the Catholics in theory, is, 
that our own Creed is faulty; but once let that be purified and placed on 
the rock of truth and consistency, and the errors of Rome will pass 
away like a tale that is told. It is because Error cannot cast out Error, 
that the Reform of Protestantism must precede that of Catholicism, 
and in saying that the reform of the Protestant Church is the proper 
antidote for the errors of Rome, we only state a truth, which we hope 
these pages will prove to the satisfaction of every candid reader. 

Truth ever lies between extremes, and it is so with Religion. While 
the Catholics do not spiritualize the Gospel sufficiently, the Calvinists 
spiritualize it over much, and between these extremes lies the Truth. 
Religion has always moved in one great circle. It began with Judaism, 
out of which came Catholicism, and out of Catholicism came Pro- 
testantism — a Church which is ever apt to return to the place whence 
it came — Catholicism and Judaism. And in now going boldly forward 
to a New Reformation in the direction of truth — which stands in 
the centre of the circle, inviting the surrounding Churches to come 
to it, we arrive at the safe anchorage of Reformed Protestantism. 

The High Church being built on Free- Will and the Works of Re- 
generation, its theology is more practical and truthful than the theology 
of the Low Church, which is built on Predestination, the negative of 
free-will and the works of man. As regards Conversion, both parties 
are equally at fault, for both derive Conversion from Internal Miracles 
— the one from Baptismal Regeneration, and the other from Election. 
Such being the comparative merits of the two parties, it is plain 
that a middle party (the Reform party), which repudiates the errors 
of both, is that which every consistent Christian ought to represent 
and encourage. 

The Reformation of Luther was effected by spiritualizing certain 
passages of the Bible, such as " This is my body ; " and it will be by 
pursuing the same course still further that the New Reformation will be 
effected. The fault which Luther committed was in making changes of 
doctrine arbitrarily, and not upon principle. To this error the Protest- 
ants owe all the dissensions and controversies which have ever marked 
their course ; but that will be studiously avoided now, — for the New 
Reformation will spiritualize the Bible on principle by means of a Test 
of Truth. Such are the glorious prospects which the New Reformation 
opens up to the World, a Reformation which will be felt in the Catholic 
Church quite as much as in the Protestant Church. 



lo 



CHAPTER IV. 

SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 

"Go on to Perfection." 

If we are asked what the Articles of Religion are, that we should 
think it necessary to organise a Society to promote their revision, we 
answer, that until these Articles are reformed, neither public opinion, 
religion nor civilization can be improved or advanced. The following 
words from Professor Sedgwick give a melancholy picture of the 
present state of Moral Science. " It is unfortunate that there is no 
English work on Moral Science which is unexceptionable in its 
principles." Now, what is the reason why no author has ever yet been 
able to write an unexceptionable book on Morals, but the existence of 
an exceptionable code of Religion on the Statute-book of the Church ? 
It is obvious that no author, either lay or clerical, can write indepen- 
dently on Morals or Religion, so long as the Thirty-nine Articles 
contain Error, of which the numerous inconsistencies and incongruities 
to be found within them, are the proof. 

Professor Sedgwick further states, "that Natural Religion is the 
necessary basis of Revealed Religion, — if the foundation of our 
Belief will not bear the most searching examination of Reason, it seems 
to be impossible that our Religion should remain secure, or have any 
continued acceptance, as the ground of hope or the rule of life." We 
trust these preliminary remarks will be a sufficient apology on the part 
of the Reformation Society, for proposing the Revision of the Articles, 
on a basis adequate to that which the learned Professor has laid down 
in his Work on " The Studies of the University of Cambridge." The 
Reform of the Thirty-nine Articles, will be to the Church, both Lay 
and Clerical, what the Electoral Reform Bill of 1832 was to the State. 
We do not, of course, mean to say that the Reformation of the Articles 
is in itself Reform, — any more than we should say that the Electoral 
Reform Bill was Reform. But this we do affirm most positively, that 
the reform of the Thirty-nine Articles, on the principles of 
truth and consistency, will assuredly remove all difficulties in the way 
of Church and Educational Reform, by the Reformation of Public 
Opinion, which it involves. 

Of God. — God is a Spirit, invisible, omnipresent, and eternal, who 
created all things by the word of His Power. Nothing, which is not 
contrary to God's own nature, is impossible with Him. All Theology, 
as the word itself signifies, rests on our conception of God, and, 
accordingly, the perfection of the Divine Attributes constitutes the 
proper test of Theological Doctrine. By applying this searching and 
comprehensive test, there is no difficulty in discerning truth from error 
in the doctrines of Religion. 

Nature. — The system of Nature under which we live is the creation 
of God, by whom it is continually sustained and preserved, and that 



16 SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 

system, both mental and physical, is governed on the principle of general 
laws. Man is apt to imagine that such cannot really be the invariable 
government of God; but when we remember that our Maker is a just 
God, and that a system of general laws is the only conceivable system 
which would deal out equal justice to all, we become convinced that 
such is really the method of the Divine Government. 

Miracles. — With the exception of the miracles of the Bible, there 
is no evidence of miracles, either external or internal, since the Canon 
of Scripture was closed. As miracles are an exception to a general 
rule, evidence is necessary to establish a miracle ; and, in the absence of 
all such evidence, we are bound to reject all belief in Modern Miracles, 
either spiritual or material. 

Object of the World. — The object of the world is, the production 
of the Matured Soul ; and to produce a Soul good and true, we must be 
careful how we use the abilities with which we have been endowed, and 
the opportunities we enjoy for self- improvement ; for, on the right use 
of these blessings, depends the progress of the Soul. 

Immortality. — The Soul is Immortal. It came forth from God, 
with nothing beyond the capacity of becoming a Matured Soul in this 
life ; and it will return to God with a Character inscribed on it, and live 
with Him to all Eternity. 

Free- Will and Responsibility. — Unless Man is a Free Agent, he is 
not a Responsible Being, for without liberty there can be no respon- 
sibility. This is a truth which all who cavil at the doctrine of free-will 
would do well to consider, for, in denying or limiting free-will, we 
thereby deny man's responsibility. In this manner, we reduce man to a 
mere machine, the slave of circumstances, and the echo of his Maker's 
will. Nor is this all ; for, to deny free-will, is to make God the author 
of Evil ; for, if man exercises no independent will, it is God and not 
man who is responsible for all the evil in the world. The proof of free- 
will is the power of choosing and judging, and the proof of respon- 
sibility is the Conscience, or the existence of Truth, and these proofs 
are universal, and common to all men. 

The basis of the Mind, which may be likened to a machine, is carried 
on by general laws, but that machine is worked by an independent Will. 
This double nature of the human mind, in which Causation as well 
as Will is observed, has given rise to the fallacy of Necessity, on 
the one hand, and Predestination, on the other. All experience 
proves man to be a Free Agent, and if he will not use his Free- Will, 
it is his own fault, for assuredly he actually possesses that power. So 
long as the Church remains in doubt on this fundamental point, we 
cannot be surprised at the want of fruits ; for, until we know that 
we possess the power to improve, we cannot improve. 

The Trinity.— God manifests Himself to the World in three different 
ways. As the Father, God is manifested in the works of Creation and 
Providence. As the Son, He is manifested in Jesus Christ, the 
Mediator and pledge of Reconciliation. And as the Holy Ghost, He is 
manifested in the Souls of all believers. " I am the Way, the Truth, 
and the Life ; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." " I will 
send the Comforter unto you, even the Spirit of Truth." — John xiv. 



SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 17 

Evil and its Remedy. — All Nature begins with Evil and Error, 
and goes forward to Good and Truth. It is only by the eradication 
of Evil and Error, that Truth, and all that is Good, can be reached. 
It was to proclaim this universal truth, and to point out the Remedy 
for the evils which this constitution of the World involves, that Christ 
came into the World. The race of man is born in Darkness, and it is 
only by degrees, by the progress of Truth and Justice, that man begins 
to see the Light, and to rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ has 
promised to set the World free. " Ye shall know the Truth, and the 
Truth shall make you Free." 

The Old Testament. — This book is chiefly a history of the dealings 
of God with the Jews. The Old Bible has almost no reference to the 
Nations of Christendom ; and, accordingly, it is only to be read by 
Christians as illustrative of the New Testament. The Religion of 
the Old Testament consists mainly of burnt offerings, rites, and 
ceremonies, which the Saviour and His Apostles declared to be 
useless and burdensome. It is manifest that if the Religion of the Old 
Testament is to be kept up, there would be no room for the Religion of 
the New Testament, for we cannot serve two masters. Christ said that 
He had come, not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil it, and what was 
the fulfilling of the Law but the Law of Love. " Love is the fulfilling 
of the Law." — Romans, xiii. 10. 

Secular Knowledge. — It is necessary to add Knowledge to Faith; 
for man does not live by bread alone, as we are told by the Saviour. It 
has been imagined, that the knowledge of the Bible is alone sufficient 
for Salvation, and that the knowledge of Nature and Experience is not 
essential ; but when we consult the sayings of our Lord, we find that 
the Church has erred greatly in this respect. If we read the Book 
of Revelation, without at the same time reading the Book of Nature, 
we can neither understand the one or the other. The same Bible which 
only produces a partial Revelation in a dark age, produces a more per- 
fect Revelation in an enlightened age, for although the Bible does not 
change, the capacity of man to interpret the Bible does change, showing 
that Religion, both natural and revealed, is progressive. The Reforma- 
tion of Luther was the interpretation of the Scripture of the sixteenth 
century ; and it is because Secular knowledge has greatly advanced 
since that period, that a new and better interpretation now becomes 
possible. 

The New Testament.— The New Testament consists of twenty- 
seven books, written by eight of the Apostles. As these writings were 
published to the world four centuries later than the last written books 
of the Old Testament, it follows that the New Testament must qualify, 
or entirely annul, the Old Testament. Accordingly, we shall do violence 
to the testimony of our blessed Lord, if we do not use the New Tes- 
tament as the interpreter of the Old Testament. On comparing all the 
books of the New Testament with each other, it will be found that the 
Gospel message is Love and Self-denial ; and if we keep this two- 
fold principle in view, we shall find no difficulty in interpreting 
Scripture. 

Religion. — True Religion consists in thinking or believing aright, 



18 SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 

and in acting in accordance with that Belief. Such being the true 
definition of Religion, it follows, that man, in being justified by his 
Religion, is justified, not by faith alone, but by Faith and Works, 
or in thinking and acting aright. 

Object of Religion. — Regeneration is the object of Religion. 
Church-going, or Ordinances, is neither Religion nor its object; for 
these are only the Means of Religion. It is that change of Heart and 
Soul, the natural results of Regeneration, which is the object of 
Religion. 

Conversion. — Conversion means Regeneration or Reformation. 
This change, which is gradual, and operates in a variety of degrees in 
different persons, is produced in the Soul by the natural operation of 
the Gospel. While the Gospel is miraculous in its origin, the effect of 
the Gospel on the Soul is entirely natural. New and better feelings 
are produced in the regenerated mind, and these new feelings are 
natural. It is by confounding these two things, which are quite 
distinct, that all the misunderstandings and schisms in the Church 
have arisen. If Conversion and Regeneration are not natural, they 
must be miraculous, seeing that there is no halfway-house between 
nature and miracle. It is above all things necessary, that a clear and 
definite conception of this truth be maintained in the mind ; or 
Methodism and Revivalism will continue to desolate the world. 

End of the World. — One half of the World is not yet inhabited, 
neither has the Gospel had its perfect work on any part of it. Now, 
as God creates nothing in vain, it is clear that, as the purpose for 
which the world has been created has not yet been consummated, we 
are bound in using our reasoning powers, to believe that, the world will 
yet exist for many thousand years to come. The World will probably 
last until the day when sorrow and suffering shall hide their faces, when 
all shall know the Lord, from the least to the greatest. 

The Resurrection. — At death, while the body remains in the 
grave, the Souls of Believers immediately pass into glory, and in all 
probability, they are then judged, without the intervention of any 
intermediate place, either of punishment or probation. Let us 
remember the words of St. Paul, when he looked forward to his eternal 
change, — which indicate that there is to be no intermediate state ; and 
we shall not give ear to vague notions about a middle state, which 
would deprive us of the presence of the Saviour for thousands or 
perhaps millions of years after our decease. 

Rewards and Punishments. — God being the God of Love, and 
having no pleasure in the punishment of the wicked, we may assure 
ourselves that the punishments of the future, will not be nearly so 
severe as we are accustomed to think. Without punishment, Respon- 
sibility would be an empty name ; and it is equally true, that if God 
were to punish His erring creatures beyond what was absolutely 
necessary for maintaining the feeling of Responsibility in the Soul, he 
would not be a God of Love, but of vengeance and malignity. 
Keeping these definite principles in view, all ideas of punishment by 
fire, torments, and such like, are to be deprecated in the Church. 
Every man will be judged according to his works, with reference to the 



SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 19 

opportunities which he has enjoyed, and the abilities with which he has 
bee Disendowed. Of him who has received much, much shall be 
required r jand of him who has received little, little shall be required ; 
for every man shall be judged according to his works. It is, of course, 
impossible to prove that there is no fire in hell, beyond the proof which 
the character of the Almighty furnishes. But that is a proof which 
ought to satisfy every reasonable mind, for we are certain that the God 
of Love will not act contrary to His own character as to the punish- 
ment of His erring creatures. 

Evil. — Pride may be said to be the mother of Selfishness, Envy, 
Jealousy, Evil-Speaking, and all Uncharitableness. While these Evil 
Passions are injurious to others, their evil consequences are ten-fold 
more injurious to ourselves ; for, to the proud and selfish, disappoint- 
ment and unhappiness must ever be the experience of life. It was to 
subdue this master-evil of Pride and Selfishness, that our Lord taught 
the doctrine of Self-Denial figuratively in these remarkable words — 
" Unless ye forsake fathers, and mothers, and houses and lands, and 
take up your cross and follow Me, ye cannot be my disciples." These 
Passions, which are natural, and remain more or less in power from 
birth to old age, are personified under the figure of Satan, in the New 
Testament. But now that men have come to understand Human Nature 
better, they have learnt to read the sayings of our Lord on this 
important point, in a spiritual sense ; when the true import of the 
passages becomes apparent. To believe in the Personality of Satan, is 
to raise up a power in the World more potent than God himself — a 
fallacy which is sufficient of itself to mar the whole scheme of 
Redemption, which is a Religion of Love and not of Fear. 

The Incarnation of Christ. — The Incarnation is the union of the 
Divine and Human natures in the person of Christ Jesus. In this 
way was the Invisible God manifested visibly to man. That the inter- 
vention of Christ was necessary to bring man to the knowledge of God, 
as well as to the knowledge of his own Want of Righteousness, and the 
remedy for that want, is a truth which every one who is learned in the 
school of Christ knows from his own experience. 

The Atonement. — The Atonement of the New Testament is not 
blood, but a new creature. It is not by washing in blood, either 
actually or figuratively, but in following the example and precepts of 
our Lord, that we are made like unto Him. It is by Faith in Christ, as 
our Redeemer, Representative and Mediator, and by the Works which 
follow that Faith as a natural consequence, — that we become New Men 
in Christ Jesus. 

Baptism. — This Rite is a sign of Discipleship, and nothing more. 
Parents present their children to be baptised in the name of Christ, 
as a badge of discipleship. And when these children grow up, they 
confirm, in presence of the Bishop and the Church, the vows under- 
taken for them by their parents or godfathers. 

The Lord's Supper. — This Institution was ordained by our Lord 
the night before His Crucifixion. It is to be held as a memorial, in all 
ages, of the Love wherewith Christ loved the World. " Do this in 
remembrance of me" is the sum and substance of the Institution. 



20 SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 

How beautiful and soul-sustaining is this greatest of ordinances, when 
viewed in its proper character ! To make the Lord's Supper more than 
a Feast of Commemoration, only mars it ; for its whole force arises 
from the solemn circumstances out of which it arose, and to com- 
memorate which it is instituted. 

The Works of God and Man. — External Nature was made by 
God. The Mind and the Body were likewise made by Him ; but the 
Thoughts, Words and Actions belong exclusively to man, and for these, 
accordingly, he is responsible. In rightly dividing between the things 
which are God's and the things that are man's, we shall render to Caesar 
the things that are his, and to God the things that are God's, and thus, 
shall we understand our true position in relation to our Maker. 

Opinions. — We are responsible for the Opinions we hold, not merely 
as to Religion, but to every other thing ; for we cannot hold erroneous 
Opinions on any subject, without producing evil both to ourselves 
and others. 

Self-Reliance. — Without the exercise of Self-Reliance, no progress, 
either in Religion or anything else is possible ; for, unless we believe 
in our own capacity to improve in our thoughts, words and actions, it 
is very certain that we shall never improve. It is not Religion, to sit 
down idly, in the vain hope that God will order Miracles to be 
performed on our behalf; but it is Religion, to be up and doing, to 
perform our duty according to our abilities and opportunities, in the 
belief that God will give the increase. This virtue of Self-Reliance 
is closely connected with Self-Denial, Self-Control and Self-Reforma- 
tion ; for without Self-Reliance to perform these Christian duties, there 
can be no Conversion. 

Belief. — Belief and Thought being synonymous, it follows, that 
having the power to change and improve our Opinions at the call of 
Truth and Evidence, we have likewise the power to change and improve 
our Beliefs ; and as we are responsible for our Opinions, we are 
responsible for our Beliefs. Without Belief, no Religion, or progress 
in Religion, is possible ; and we all know how low Belief has fallen in 
this Country, in our day. It is only by the increase of Knowledge that 
Faith can be increased, and in reforming the Church Articles, that 
increase of Faith and Knowledge so necessary to the very existence of 
Religion, will be inducted into the System. 

Regeneration. — Regeneration, is the end for which all things else 
are the means. It is the very gate of Heaven. It is by the exercise 
of Love to God and our neighbour, on the one hand, and the Denial of 
Self-Love, on the other, in all we think, say and do, that we are 
changed and re-generated. The Evil Passions are subdued, and wither 
away under the influence of the Gospel, and such is the power of 
Love and Self-Denial to regenerate the World. 

The Will. — The Old or unregenerated Will, which tendeth to 
bondage, gives place to the New or regenerated Will, which is Liberty. 
The first Will is of the Earth, earthy ; but the second Will is of the 
Heavens, heavenly. " Marvel not that I said unto you, Ye must be 
born again." 

Truth and Conscience. — These faculties or principles are almost 



SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 21 

identical, both feelings being universally applicable. Every Man is 
endowed with the faculty of perceiving Truth. There is no diffi- 
culty in finding Truth to those who are diligent in seeking after it, 
the sole difficulty in the matter is in obeying Truth after it has been 
found. To love Truth, is to love God, for God is the God of Truth. 

Sincerity and Hypocrisy. — True Religion produces Sincerity, or 
Faith and Practice in unison; but Religion which is a mixture of 
Truth and Error, produces a walk and conversation mixed with the 
leaven of Hypocrisy. Christians must therefore be careful to understand 
Religion, lest they fall into the error of the Hypocrite, which is the 
disgrace of any Church. 

Intolerance. — True Religion is never Intolerant ; for to those who 
have no errors to protect, Truth is ever welcome. We may almost 
estimate the amount of Error in any mind, by the Intolerance that mind 
displays towards others. Truth and Toleration are ever in company ; 
and where the one is supposed to exist without the other, such is the 
proof that Error is not yet cast out. 

The Feelings and the Intellect. — The Intellect must in every case 
be allowed to govern the Feelings. What is Intellect or Reason 
given for, but to guide us as to what we are to think, and do ? and if 
we allow our feelings to dictate our Actions, there is an end to Right 
Conduct. To suffer Feeling to govern, is to make void the Gospel ; 
for what is that Self-Denial which our Saviour speaks of under the 
figure of a Cross, but, giving effect to the Intellect, by crucifying the 
Feelings ? 

Reason. — This Faculty is given for the express purpose of interpret- 
ing the Bible and Nature. Accordingly, if we read the Bible without 
the use of this greatest and best of all God's gifts, the Bible, instead of 
guiding us aright, will mislead us. Not to use Reason, is to put our 
candle under a bushel, as if we were ashamed of the only faculty which 
distinguishes us from the lower animals. When the Mind of any one 
is not open to Conviction, that person must be considered in a state of 
moral bondage ; but when the Mind is able to submit to Reason when 
convinced, it is in a state of Liberty. 

Love. — The Christian Religion is built upon Love. Now abideth 
Faith, Hope and Love, and the greatest of these is Love. The Love 
of God to Man is the first table of the Covenant. The Love of Man 
to God, constitutes the second table. The third table is the Love of 
Man to his fellow Men. In carrying out this latter Commandment, we 
are to respect, tolerate, and love all Men ; and such are the marks by 
which every Christian is known. "Respect for Others," which is 
one of the phases of Love, is the basis of all right character ; and such 
is the Christian character. Is not respect for others at once the essence 
of humility and the test of nobility ? 

Redemption. — Forgiveness and Redemption are offered to him who 
loves and follows Truth more than Error, and to him whose walk and 
conversation is becoming the Gospel. " This is the condemnation, 
that men love darkness more than light because their deeds are evil." 

Divine Grace. — The change of Will from its natural condition to a 
condition in harmony with the Divine Will, is that Grace of which 



22 SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 

the Gospel speaks. The word, however, in some texts, signifies Love, 
and sometimes Pardon. 

This Life. — Life is a time of Trial and Probation to all Men, 
high and low, rich and poor, from the time they enter the World to the 
time they leave it. The trials and difficulties of this World are so 
numerous and constant, that it is necessary ever to be learning and 
re-learning, so as successfully to contend with the Evil Passions 
within, and the difficulties which surround our lot. We must be ever 
watchful and careful to use all our opportunities and abilities to make 
the most of our time, while health and strength are vouchsafed to us. 
It is this constitution of the World which necessitates the Institution 
of the Church, and of the Lord's Day ; for unless men are reminded 
periodically of their duties, they would soon forget them, when the 
World would become a moral wilderness. 

The Lord's Day. — This Day has been set apart for the Celebration 
of Public Worship and Instruction. As the Lord's Day is an Eccle- 
siastical Institution, it cannot be lawful to forbid Recreation on that 
day, — an error which could not fail to be injurious to the best interests 
of Religion. (See Bampton Lectures, 1860.) 

Preaching the Gospel. — Pastors are bound to instruct themselves 
on the subject of Human Nature ; for unless all their discourses 
have reference to Nature as well as to the Bible, their preaching 
cannot reach the understanding of the People. To preach to the feel- 
ings is one thing, and to preach to the feelings through the understanding 
another. One feeling cannot improve another, it being the office of 
the Intellect alone to convince and convert. While the Feelings may 
be said to be the foundation of the Soul, the Intellect is its architect, 
guide, and governor. It being as necessary to understand Religion as 
to believe it, it is desirable that Preaching should be conducted upon 
a definite plan. If a Code of Articles, such as the New Articles 
will be, were made the subject of our morning discourses, system 
would be introduced into the pulpit. Professors of colleges deliver 
their discourses upon a system, and there is no reason why the 
Clergy should not do the same. By so doing, the Clergy will see 
their flocks grow in Grace, and in all that is honouring to God and 
man ; for who is able to estimate the benefits of unfolding the hidden 
treasures of Truth upon a system, and not in a desultory manner, as 
heretofore ? The Churches will be filled by intelligent congregations, 
who will feel it a privilege and a pleasure to meet together for 
Worship and Instruction ; and in this way will the glory of the reno- 
vated Church greatly exceed that of any former period of her history. 
The mission of the Church is to supply Spiritual Instruction to the 
whole population, and there can be no doubt, that, if the Church is 
faithful in the fulfilment of this, her duty, the People will not be 
behind in availing themselves of the privilege, seeing that nothing is« 
more grateful to Man than the exercise of all his faculties. 

If we have erred in any respect in the compilation of these Articles, 
we shall be glad to be set right, for our object is truth, and that alone ; 
and, so that we are not asked to introduce inconsistencies into the 
system, we shall be ready to entertain any suggestions, from whatever 



SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 23 

quarter they may come. We hope these Articles will be found to 
contain nothing but what any Clergyman or Layman may accept. To 
induce unity among all parties is our object, and to effect that, we must 
aim at a code of belief which is as liberal and general as is consistent with 
the Spirit of the Gospel. These Articles may not include all that the 
reader believes, but if they contain nothing which he may not accept, that, 
in our opinion, ought to be sufficient to gain his approval. It is clear 
that we ctmnot please all parties, and if the reader will remember this, 
he will be the more inclined to waive private opinions, for the sake of 
unity and the general good. In compliance with the precept, to "go on 
to perfection,'''' we have not sought a Reformation in vainly trying to 
reconcile opposites, but rather in boldly going forward to new truths, 
and in thus forgetting the things that are behind, we have pressed 
forward to those that are before. 

Having, as we hope, said enough to show the errors of Supernatu- 
ralism, or the Religion of Miracles, we now turn to the opposite error 
of Naturalism, of which the " Phases of Faith" and " The Soul and 
its Aspirations,'" by Professor Newman, are perhaps the best exponents. 
This Faith, which may either be called Naturalism or Spiritualism, may be 
characterised as a Religion without a doctrine ; and, of course, a Religion 
without a doctrine is no Religion at all. Naturalism is the Religion of 
the Feelings, irrespective of the government of the Intellect. While 
the Spiritualists deny miracles, they assume that every man possesses a 
power, within himself, to make his own Religion. This may be liberty, 
but it cannot be called either Religion or Civilization. With the Ration- 
alist Creed (Spiritualism), neither Articles nor an Organised Church 
are possible ; for every man would then be a Church to himself. With 
this Religion, we might bid adieu to Liberty and the progress of Civil- 
ization; for we maintain that, without Articles and a Church, there could 
be neither. The Christian Religion is not Nature, but that which is 
built upon Nature. To go back to Nature, as the Spiritualists would 
have us do, is not Civilization, but the opposite ; for, as already said, 
Naturalism is the rule of the Feelings, and we all know what to expect 
when the Feelings govern. Let the Spiritualists subject Nature to the 
Law of Truth, and they will come to the same result as ourselves. 

Some of the Clergy complain of the efforts now making for the 
Reformation of Religion, but we must be allowed to tell such very 
plainly that they have themselves to blame for all this, in so long 
remaining deaf to every proposal for Reform. We have shown that there 
is only one way of strengthening the Church, namely, the Reformation 
of her Articles of Faith, but that only Salvation the Church has all 
along refused, and, now that the Church is in danger, the Clergy are at 
their wit's end, and know not how to turn. " 

We have shown that Truth is not only the remedy for Supernatu- 
ralism, but the remedy for Naturalism, and we trust the New Articles 
of Religion now proposed by this Society will be found to be fully 
competent to deliver the Church out of all her difficulties, if the necessary 
reforms are carried out before the Church crumbles to the ground from 
her defects from within and the attacks of her enemies from without. 
It is manifest, that if the Protestant Church is to be saved, every friend 



24 SCRIPTURE INTERPRETED. 

of Religion and Liberty must now rally round the Bible, and demand a 
complete Reformation of the Articles, so as to bring them into conformity 
with the Scriptures. 

The reason why the Church makes no progress is, that discussion is 
confined to historical questions. In the Law Courts, many years are 
constantly lost in discussing preliminary points, but the moment the 
merits are reached the case is disposed of. It is the same with the 
Church. Three centuries have been taken up with preliminary dis- 
cussions on historical questions, but if the Church will now come to 
the " merits " of the case by entering boldly on Doctrine, as we have 
endeavoured to do in these pages, we shall come to a reformation when 
all disputes will be finally settled. 

While little progress has been made in the diffusion of Knowledge, 
substantial progress has been made in the minds of the few, — an ad- 
vance which only requires to have its expression in Literature and the 
National Creed to become universal. If we are told that a Literature 
and a Religion equal to the intelligence of the few, would to the many be 
a dead language, we answer, that such is a fallacy, for to supply a good 
article is to create a market. This is a truth which is every day seen 
in the ordinary affairs of life, and there is no reason why the rule 
should not hold in Literature and Religion as well as in other things. 
But we will go even further, for we have no hesitation in saying that 

TO BELIEVE IN A BETTER FUTURE IS TO CREATE ONE. 



FINIS, 



PRINTRD BY GEO. H. NICHOLS, EARL'S COURT, LEICESTER SQUARE, LONDON. 



PROGRESS 



OF THE 



NEW REFORMATION 



IN 



ENGLAND AND FRANCE. 



" Give us true and consistent opinions, and actions will accord with them. It is 
because no Church has adopted a Creed free from error, that evil abounds in the world. 
It therefore follows that any improvement must be preceded by a Reformation of Doc- 
trine; for it is precept and not practice that is at fault" — Philosophy of Civilization. 



ESSAY No. 2. 



LONDON: 



PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY BY GEO. H. NICHOLS, 

EARL'S COUET, LEICESTER SQUARE, AND MAY BE HAD OF 
ALL BOOKSELLERS. 

1861. 



CONTENTS 



ESSAY No. 1. 

General Preface 

Chapter I. — Address of the Society, and Draft of 
Act of Parliament . 

„ II. — The Protestant Churches 

„ III. — The Catholic Churches .... 

„ IV.— The Eevised Thirty-Nine Articles . 



PAGE. 

1 



3 

6 

11 

15 



ESSAY No. 2. 

Chapter I. — Politics and the Press 

II. — The Thirty^Nine Articles 
III.— Calvinism *#..-.»• 
IV. — Revivalism . 
V. — Free Libraries . 
VI. — The French Reformation . 
VII. — The English Reformation 
Prospectus of the Society 



27 
30 
35 
39 
43 
46 
52 
56 



N.B. — The whole Series is expected to be completed in seven or 
eight Numbers. 



PROGRESS OF THE REFORMATION. 



CHAPTER I. 

POLITICS AND THE PRESS. 

Since the publication of our first Essay, the Reformation has made 
steady progress. Not only have the English public responded to the 
call, but the French public, to whom the subject was not new, have 
taken it up in right earnest. The Protestants of England have met 
the Catholics of France on the neutral ground of Reform, an event 
which is sufficient of itself to change the destinies of the world. 
It may take some of our readers by surprise to hear that France, 
which is a Catholic country, should be on the eve of a reformation ; 
but when we remember that Truth is of no time or place, but is ap- 
plicable to all Churches and times alike, that surprise will cease. The 
times in which we live are such, that events which would have occupied 
centuries in former times, are now possible, as it were, in a day. 

That France and England should not only be yoked together in com- 
merce, but in Religion, is truly astounding, an event which indicates 
very clearly, that a class has risen up on both sides of the channel, 
who are devoted to the reformation of civilization, not only in England 
and France, but throughout the world. The Free-Trade movement, 
which is based on the principle of self-sacrifice, has probably given 
birth to this new spirit ; and in extending the principles of truth and 
liberty to Religion, we enter on a new era in history. 

Austria, Prussia, and Russia, in concert with the Holy See, are said 
to have entered into a new " Holy Alliance," to maintain the interests 
of despotism. France, true to her high mission as the leader of the 
liberal interests, is increasing her armaments, so that she may be pre- 
pared to meet the coming storm. But this is not all ; for France is not 
only adding to her armies, but she is preparing to put an end to the 
Papal power in France, by establishing a National Church — a Church 
which will be neither Catholic nor Protestant, but a Reformed Church 
which repudiates the errors of both. This is an indispensable step to 
ultimate success ; for, so long as the despotic powers can influence the 
people of France through the Confessional, it is not to be expected that 



28 POLITICS AND THE PRESS. 

the liberal interest could come victoriously out of the conflict. France 
cannot go to war with the Catholic powers with any prospect of success 
so long as she remains part of the Catholic Church. As the interests 
of Religion and Civilization demand that she should constitute for 
herself a Church independent of Rome, we may look forward with 
confidence to a great Reformation being immediately carried out, which 
will be the precursor of Universal Peace; for when the Confessional 
ceases, the last hope of despotism is gone. We cannot say that there 
will be no war, for the usurped power of Rome will not die without a 
struggle, but we can safely say, that with the Reformation in progress, 
the horrors of war will be lightened, and their duration shortened. A 
protracted war is now impossible ; for, with the banner of Universal 
Toleration unfurled, war will soon give place to peace. 

A new feature in the annals of warfare was evolved last year, which 
it would be well to remember. The kingdom of the Two Sicilies was 
wrested from the despotism of Francis II more by moral force than by 
bayonets ; for, like Jericho of old, the walls of the besieged cities fell 
down, after they had been compassed about with armies, heralded by 
the sound of the trumpets of peace and liberty. The moral of this is 
simple enough. Let the trumpets be sounded in the hearing of the 
people, and they will open their gates to those who come to their 
succour. Such has been the experience of the Italian war of inde- 
pendence, and if the same policy is pursued in future we may expect 
the same glorious results. If war can be avoided this year, it will be a 
great blessing ; for, ere another year has run its course, the Hungarians 
and Poles may, by the moral force that has been evoked in the councils 
of Europe, achieve their wishes without any appeal to arms. 

We observe that some of the journals fear that the Reformation 
will endanger the stability of the Church of England. That any one 
should entertain such short-sighted ideas only shows that they have not 
considered the subject, for the tendency of the Reformation is to build 
up and not to destroy the Church. When it was proposed to reform 
the Parliament in 1832, we were told that the Constitution was in danger, 
but the result has more than falsified that fear, for Parliament is now 
stronger than ever. It was the same in 1846, when the Corn Laws 
were repealed. The land was to be thrown out of cultivation, but the 
result has been that the value of land has greatly encreased. It will be 
the same with the Church, for when she is reformed, she will stand on 
a rock which cannot be shaken. Our design is to elevate and enlarge 
Religion, and we hope we have taken the only method of effecting these 
objects by proposing that the Creed of the Church should be purified 
and perfected. 

But there is another misconception which we must meet. Some say 
we have more need of a Political than of Religious Reformation. Such 
short-sighted reasoners would reap the harvest without the trouble of 
sowing — they would take the fruits, but refuse the labour and the 
sacrifice. But what is the state of the case ? Without a Religious 
Reformation to set public opinion right, we cannot have a Political 
Reformation, of which the case of France and the Confessional is a 
notable example. How can there be Civil Liberty if there is no Moral 



POLITICS AND THE PRESS. 29 

or Religious Liberty ? Is not the one the effect of the other ? As well 
expect to gather figs of thistles, as to reap where we have not sown. 

We hope we have now made it plain that the Reformation, to be 
general and permanent, must be Religious as well as Political. We 
must reform the causes of evil as well as their effects, and in combining 
the religious with the political element, we take the only method which 
can possibly produce the desired result. Let both Reformations go on 
simultaneously, and the issue will not be doubtful. 

The state of the English Press at this momentous epoch of history, 
is anything but satisfactory. The events going on within our own 
Church have not been discussed with any appreciation of their important 
bearings. The disruption of the American Republic has been deplored, 
instead of being hailed as the harbinger of a better state of things in that 
country. The coming extinction of slavery is a topic which, instead 
of calling forth the congratulations of the press, is entirely ignored. 
Why should the public be obliged to read day by day, the threadbare 
topics of bygone times, which can serve no other purpose but to keep 
up dissensions and angry feelings, which otherwise would die away ? 
Are there not enough of new topics of paramount interest going on 
around us, with which to delight, instead of wearying their readers ? 

We desire to see the press take its proper place as the instructors 
and advisers of the public : but this high position it can never reach 
until editors take courage to speak their real sentiments without reserve. 
We should be glad to see the public take up this important question ; 
for public opinion cannot be improved if the press makes no progress. 
It is neither talent nor scholarship which is wanting ; for the press 
can boast of both ; but it is the want of public spirit. It is not pho- 
tographs of current opinions that are wanted, for we see enough of 
that in our intercourse with the world. We naturally look to the press 
for information as to what is right and good, for it has access to sources 
of knowledge which the people have not, and to furnish us with this is 
the proper mission of the newspaper press. 

Although the past state of public opinion may be some excuse for 
the deficiencies of the press, the time has happily come when that 
excuse will no longer be listened to. It has been said that the British 
Press is not a Free Press — that although it is free from Government 
control, it is not free from the more galling bondage of an intolerant 
public. This is a truth which every statesman and author knows from 
personal experience. We say, let that stigma on the British name be 
washed out ; let bygones be bygones ; for a better day is at hand. 

The change that is going on in political circles is very encouraging, 
for the old distinctions of party are passing away, and new and better 
ones are taking their place. High and Low Church are already almost 
obsolete terms, for both parties are being lost in the new distinctions of 
reformers and anti-reformers. The old names of Whig and Tory are, 
however, likely to remain, the one representing the progress party, and 
the other the anti-progress party, designations which are so well under- 
stood that it would be a pity that they should undergo any change. 

While there may be many different churches in 'the world, there 
ought to be only one creed, seeing that there is only one Truth and one 



30 



THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. 



Gospel. So far from wishing to unite all churches in one, as some 
have imagined, we think a diversity of churches more conducive to the 
general welfare: for all experience goes to shew, that both Unity and 
Individuality must be preserved, if we wish to see a Civilization grow 
up which is true to nature. We say, therefore, let all Churches advo- 
cate the same creed, but at the same time, maintain their distinctive 
characters as respects Church Government and Ecclesiastical Polity, 
and that we think is the language of toleration and sound statesmanship. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. 



"Prove all things and hold to that which is good." 

In our former Essay, we treated of Theology positively — giving in 
the form of articles an interpretation of the Scriptures. We now pass 
to the negative aspect of the question, which we shall treat of under 
the head of Calvinism and Revivalism. In this way, we hope to ex- 
haust the subject, by presenting the reader with a complete system of 
Theology, both positive and negative. The Thirty-nine Articles, 
which we are now to revise, will be found in the Prayer Book — of which 
the following is a list. 



1. 


On Faith in the Holy Trinity. 


22. 


On Purgatory. 


2. 


Christ the Son of God. 


23. 


Ministering in the Congregation. 


3. 


His going down into Hell. 


24. 


Speaking in the Congregation. 


4. 


His Resurrection. 


25. 


The Sacraments. 


5. 


The Holy Ghost, 


26. 


The Unworthiness of Ministers. 


6. 


The Sufficiency of the Scripture. 


27. 


Baptism. 


7. 


The Old Testament. 


28. 


The Lord's Supper. 


8. 


The Three Creeds. 


29. 


The Wicked which eat not the 


9. 


Original or Birth Sin. 




Body of Christ. 


10. 


Free-will. 


30. 


Both Kinds. 


11. 


Justification. 


31. 


Christ's one Oblation. 


12. 


Good Works. 


32. 


The Marriage of Priests. 


13. 


Works before Justification. 


33. 


Excommunicate Persons. 


14. 


Works of Supererogation. 


34. 


The Traditions of the Church. 


15. 


Christ alone without Sin. 


35. 


The Homilies. 


16. 


Sin after Baptism. 


36. 


Consecration of Ministers. 


17. 


Predestination and Election. 


37. 


Civil Magistrates. 


18. 


Obtaining Salvation by Christ. 


38. 


Christian Men's Goods. 


19. 


The Church. 


39. 


A Christian Man's Oath. 


20. 


The Authority of the Church. 


— 


The Eatification. 


21. 


Authority of General Councils. 







Article 1 teaches that God is one person, and at the same time 
three persons, — which is a palpable contradiction ; for it is certain that 
one cannot be three, and yet remain one. Article 8 ordains that the 
three Creeds of the Prayer Book are to be received and fully believed 
in, and these Creeds teach the same contradictory doctrine very fully. 



THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. 31 

The explanation of the mystery of the Trinity is probably this : — 
God is One. Christ is the supernatural union of God and Man, not 
only on the Earth, but to all eternity in Heaven. The Holy Ghost 
is the spirit of God in Man, when sanctified by the truth. The 
Mediator is not a second God, but God united with Christ Jesus. 
The Holy Ghost is not a third God, but the Spirit of God in Man. 
We see God in Himself manifested in the works of creation ; we see 
God miraculously in Christ ; and we see God naturally in Man ; and 
these are the three aspects in which the Eternal God is manifested 
to the World. There is no contradiction here, the whole being in con- 
formity with scripture and experience. 

It will be found that the Trinity of the Prayer Book receives no 
countenance from any part of the Bible, either Old or New, and there- 
fore we ask why the Thirty-nine Articles should not be immediately 
reformed, so as to bring them into harmony with Scripture ? Let it not 
be imagined that this is a matter of little practical importance, for, so 
far from that being the case, there is not a doctrine of Religion which 
is not affected by it ; and if we are to reform the subordinate doctrines, 
we must, of necessity, begin with the reformation of the fundamental 
doctrine. 

We once heard an eminent professor of theology preach a sermon on 
the Deity ; and as the subject is one rarely touched on from the pulpit, 
we were curious to know what the clergy really believe. The pro- 
fessor said that there were two errors to be avoided in approaching 
the sublime subject of his discourse ; the one was, in supposing that 
God is a person, and the other that he is a principle. God is 
neither the one nor the other ; but something between the two ! 
The learned preacher was obliged to come to this extraordinary con- 
clusion, in order to vindicate the doctrines of the Church. Here we see 
the deplorable results of allowing contradictions to remain in the 
Articles of Religion ; for such must, of necessity, produce Scepticism 
and negation. There is no wonder that there should be so much scep- 
ticism in the Church, when the fundamental doctrine of all theology 
contains so many contradictions. Nor can we wonder that the Church 
makes so few converts among the Jews, Mahomedans, and Heathens, 
when she offers them a Religion which they cannot understand, owing 
to the mass of contradictions which surround it. But let these defects 
be removed, and there is no reason why the Gospel should not become 
co-extensive with the world. 

Christ performed innumerable Miracles. He was a Miracle himself, 
both in his life and resurrection. He spoke by inspiration ; in other 
words, miraculously. The origin of the Gospel is therefore entirely 
miraculous. The doctrine taught by Christ was often a reliance on 
Miraculous Grace, but although that was obviously the intention of our 
Lord's preaching as regards the Apostles and Disciples, it does not 
follow that He intended that the nations of the world should interpret 
such sayings as applicable to them, after the Age of Miracles had 
ceased ; or, after the occasion for Miracles had passed away, and the 
Canon of Scripture had been closed. The destruction of Jerusalem, 
and the dispersion of the Jewish Nation, may be considered the ending 



32 THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. 

of the Dispensation of Miracles, and to those Christians exclusively 
who lived previously to that time, are the words of our Saviour 
which teach the doctrine of Miraculous Grace applicable. 

The following words are from the Gospel of St. John : — 

" Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you 
into all Truth ; for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He 
shall hear, that shall He speak ; for He will show you (the apostles and 
disciples) things to come." — John \^th. This passage is an example of 
a text which is not applicable to Christians of modern times, in its 
literal sense ; for, although the doctrine was to be taken in that sense 
by the immediate followers of our Lord, it is obvious that, unless we 
accept the doctrine of Modern Miracles as still going on, we must 
reject the literal reading of such passages, and only accept them as 
having reference to modern times in their non-miraculous sense. The 
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are to be received as the 
inspired Word of God, but it is necessary to distinguish between 
passages which apply to modern times, and passages which exclusively 
apply to the Apostles and Disciples, and the times in which they lived, 
for if we apply the former in their literal sense, we must nullify the 
Gospel by continuing in the Church belief in Modern Miracles. 

If we are told that our system exalts the understanding or reason 
above the Scriptures, we refer all such objectors to the following words 
of our Lord, which are clear and definite on the subject of Reason: — 

" He that receiveth the seed into good ground, is he who heareth the 
Word and under standeth it; who also in an honest and good heart 
bringeth forth fruit with patience." — Mark 4th and Luke 8th. 

" Being born again by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth 
for ever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto 
you." — 1 Peter, chap. 1. 

Here the whole mystery of Conversion is explained — the Word 
preached being the cause of conversion, and the conversion the natural 
effect. It is the understanding of Religion (Reason) which produces 
Conversion, — for unless the Word preached enters the understanding, 
the heart is not convinced, and no change of soul is produced. 

The time is now come when the Church must decide either to accept 
the doctrine of Supernaturalism without reservation, or abandon it 
altogether. Modern Miracles, both spiritual and material, are either 
true or false, and, as all Protestants agree in this, that there is no 
evidence of Miracles, either spiritual or material, in modern times, we 
are forced to reject the idea of Miraculous Grace. 

The Catholic Church openly avows belief in modern Miracles, and it is 
impossible for us Protestants consistently or conscientiously to say that 
that Church is in error, if we ourselves believe in Miracles under other 
names. Until the Protestant Churches give up the doctrine of Miracu- 
lous Grace, the Catholic Church is able to say with truth, that while 
she is consistent in all her doctrines, the Protestant Church is not. But 
the moment that the Protestant Churches repudiate the idea of super- 
natural influences, and give effect to that Reformation in all their 
Articles of Faith, the Protestants will not only be consistent in all their 
doctrines, but those doctrines, taken collectively, will be consistent with 



THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. 33 

Truth, which the Catholic Church cannot say, so long as she remains 
unreformed. 

The Articles of the Church have an effect on the Religion of the 
Land which few men fully comprehend. They interpret the Bible by 
authority, so that it is of vital importance to Religion that they should 
be free from error ; for if they contain anything contrary to Scripture, 
they must have the effect of depriving the Clergy and Laity of the 
benefits of Revelation, to the extent of the errors which they may con- 
tain. Let us, therefore, carefully compare the Articles with Scripture, 
which we shall review under three heads. 1st. the works of Man; 
2nd. the work of Christ, as Mediator between God and Man ; and 
3rd. the works of God. 

1. Free Will (Article 10th). — This Article, instead of granting 
the Doctrine of Free Will, as the title of the Article indicates, denies 
Free Will altogether. The Article states, that in consequence of 
" Original Sin" Man has no power of himself to do anything good ; 
he is, therefore, nothing more than a passive machine in the hands of 
his Maker. Man is absolved from all responsibility whatever ; for 
where there is no Liberty of Thought and Action, there can be no 
Responsibility. Having no power to perform anything good (Art. 11), 
the Doctrine of "Faith without Works" follows as a matter of course, 
and that Doctrine is fully taught by those two Articles. 

2. The Atonement (Art. 15.) — The Atonement of the Old Testa- 
ment is the sacrifice of bulls and goats ; and the Atonement of the 
New Testament is the sacrifice of the body of Christ. This Doctrine 
transfers the Religion of Moses into the Religion of Christ, the only 
difference being, that the one sacrifice is infinitely more precious than 
the other. In refuting this doctrine, we ask if any one is able to recon- 
cile this version of the Christian Religion with the acts and sayings of 
our Lord and his Apostles? We think not. Christ came on purpose to 
repeal the Religion of Moses, which had been mixed up with Sacrifices, 
which are declared to be an abomination to the Lord ; and not to apply 
that Religion to the World at large for all time coming. In proof 
of this opinion we may refer to the following passages from the 
Gospels t)f St. Matthew and St. John. " The Law came by Moses ; 
but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ." — John, ch. 1. " They that 
be whole need not a physician ; but they that are sick, but go and 
learn what that meaneth, I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice ; for I am 
not come to call the Righteous, but Sinners to Repentance." — Matthew, 
ch. 9. The meaning of this remarkable passage is very plain. The 
self-righteous Pharisees, to whom these words were addressed, made 
themselves whole by Faith in Sacrifices ; and to such, Christ was not 
wanted ; for they that are whole need no physician. It is by inter- 
preting the Old Testament by the New Testament that we are enabled 
to arive at this important result. There may be some passages in St. 
Paul's Epistles which will bear a construction favorable to the doctrine 
of " Justification without Works;" but it must be remembered that 
these writings of St. Paul are letters addressed to particular Churches, 
with special objects in view, and not writings for general application in 
all countries and all times, as the Gospels are. St. Paul himself points 



34 THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. 

out this difference in very plain language, when he says, " To the Jews 
I became as a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews" — 1 Cor. ix., 20. 
With regard to the Epistle to the Hebrews, St. Paul cannot be charged 
with it, for the style of that epistle is quite different from St. Paul's 
style, nor does it bear the Apostle's name, as do the other epistles. — 
See Conybeare's "Life and Epistles of St. Paul," vol. 2, p. 605. 

3. Predestination and Election (Art. 17.) — Every Man is chosen 
of God, either for salvation or damnation, irrespective of his merits. 
The thoughts and acts of Man do not affect his destiny for good or evil ; 
for this article teaches us to believe that the predestinated Acts of our 
Maker have fixed our destiny before we were born. Such is the read- 
ing of this article ; and with such erroneous doctrines before us, it 
will surprise no one when we state that the word Responsibility does 
not occur in this or any other of the Thirty-nine Articles! The whole 
scope of these articles is opposed to the idea of Man's Responsibility, 
and accordingly, that fundamental doctrine of all true Religion and 
Morality is wanting. Now what is the doctrine of the Gospel but 
this — " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish " ? Christ 
teaches the doctrine of Responsibility ; but the Articles of our Church 
do not ; and what in such circumstances can we say of these Articles, 
but that they are in opposition to the Gospel, both in letter and spirit. 

The Religion of the Thirty-nine Articles has not made Men good, 
and never can make them good. It will not be till man's capacity to 
improve himself (Free Will) is recognised by the Church Articles, that 
any fruits of the Gospel can be expected ; for, so long as Man is taught 
that he cannot improve himself, it is quite certain that he will not 
improve. It has been imagined that the reason why Man remains 
unregenerate, is the want of practice ; but that fallacy is now set at 
rest ; for it is precept and not practice that is at fault. 

If it is said that the Clergy and Laity have the Bible for their guide 
as well as the Thirty-nine Articles, we answer that it is only true 
in a limited sense. The Articles are the authorised interpretation 
of the Bible, and no Clergyman is permitted to teach any Doctrine of 
the Bible in any other sense than that set forth by the Articles. It is 
practically the same with the Laity ; for if any Layman expresses 
opinions at variance with the Articles, although those opinions may be 
much more true to the Bible than the Articles themselves, he is certain 
to be denounced as a freethinker and an infidel. These facts go far 
to show that the want of fruits in the Church do not arise from any 
fault in the Bible, but from a wrong interpretation of the Bible con- 
tained in the Articles. People are apt to imagine that the Thirty-nine 
Articles, which are seldom or never read, exercise little or no influence 
on Public Opinion ; but these facts indicate the reverse ; for so long 
as erroneous Articles remain the law of the land, Public Opinion must 
partake of the same errors. 

It has been imagined that no Clergyman can dissent from any 
of the Thirty-nine Articles, and yet consistently remain in the Church ; 
but to show that such is a fallacy, we need only refer to the 
Articles themselves, which fortunately provide for that contingency. 
Article 6th. — "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary for 



CALVINISM. 35 

Salvation, so that whatsoever is not read therein, or may be proved 
thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed 
as an Article of Faith." It is obvious that if every Clergyman who 
discovers errors in the Thirty-nine Articles was bound to retire from 
the Church, these Articles must be branded with the name of 
"Finality," for in that case, any reform or improvement of the 
Articles would be rendered impossible. Those Clergymen who desire 
a reformation of Religion are, on the contrary, bound to remain at 
their posts ; for that is the only way they can render a service to their 
Church and their country. When the great Wycliffe discovered errors 
of the Church in his times, he did not basely leave his post; and in boldly 
advocating a reformation of those errors, he has left a memorial of 
his courage and public spirit which will be remembered with 
gratitude while the World lasts. 

In this review of the Thirty -nine Articles, we have only been able 
to mention a few of the principal Articles, but we trust we have said 
enough to enable our readers to form a judgment of the whole. Some 
ask what is the use of Articles at all, but such might as well ask what 
is the use of the Bible, for without Articles to enable the people to 
know how the Church interprets the Bible, the Church and the Bible 
would be comparatively useless. Consistent Articles of Belief are the 
best guarantee of Religious Liberty that a nation can possess, they 
are moreover the only security for the maintenance of toleration, or 
social peace and liberty. Such being the importance of purity in the 
National Faith, we feel assured that the subject will receive that careful 
attention and consideration which its great importance demands. 

It has been said that the Thirty-nine Articles are partly Arminian 
aud partly Calvinistic, but after a careful examination of these articles, 
we have found them to be wholly Calvinistic. There may be a word, 
or sentence, here and there which will bear an interpretation at variance 
with strict Calvinism, but that does not alter the fact which we have 
stated, for we know of no book which might not be perverted in that 
way. The creed of the Church of England being Calvinistic, it will 
be necessary to examine more particularly the nature of that Religion, 
but this we must reserve for the next Chapter. 



CHAPTER III. 

CALVINISM. 

" Every man shall be judged according to his Works." 

To test the reality of the Calvinistic theory, let us ask what is the 
object of that religion. Regeneration is not the object of the Calvin- 
istic Churches, since they repudiate Works, and these are necessary 
to regeneration. To glorify God is not the object, for that is worship, 
and worship is not an object but a means. Belief is not the object, 
for unless belief be followed by action it can produce nothing. Prayer 



36 CALVINISM. 

is not the object, for with Election and Predestination it is difficult 
to see the use of prayer. Church-going and Sabbath-keeping are 
not the object, for these, like worship, are only means. In short, the 
Calvinistic theory of religion has no object, and a religion without 
an object is a negation. Is it not true, that unless religion be a prac- 
tical thing, it is nothing? It may at first sight be feared that when 
Calvinistic error is taken away, little will be left, but the case is just the 
reverse. The evil of the Calvinistic doctrines is, that they contradict 
and obscure the Gospel light, and thus curtail its fullness and freeness, 
but take away errors, and G-ospel truth comes out in bold relief, and 
a great expansion of faith is the consequence. Let us state the result. 
The first and great boon which the sacrifice of Calvinism bestows 
is Free Will ; for while Election and Predestination remain there is 
no Will, for a will that is not free is not a will. This recognition of 
the Will for the first time in the Churches will be the Magna Charta 
of religious liberty. With Calvinism we have nothing but to brood 
over our own nothingness ; but now made free with the liberty whereof 
Christ has made us free, we are called on to be up and doing, to 
work out our salvation. Nothing is so pleasant and beneficial as 
employment, and in exchange for empty comtemplation, which ends 
in negation, we shall have a positive and practical Religion to interest 
and employ the soul. 

But Free Will is not all, for now the Christian has a sure and stable 
foundation for his faith, in a God who is good and just ; no perception 
of which is to be found in the God of the Calvinists, who saves one 
and condemns another irrespective of their deserts! Further, in ex- 
change for the gratification of the feelings, which the Calvinists may 
have, the Reformed Church will, in addition, have the higher gratifi- 
cation of the intellect ; and we need only remark that, while the 
feelings are often made to blush when met by the arguments of truth, 
the intellect is never put to shame. In short, in exchange for the 
Calvinistic theory we shall have a faith ten thousand times better and 
larger, so that the sacrifice which truth demands is great gain. 

If we are told that faith is to be proved by works, that is salva- 
tion by the combination of faith and works ; and if the Calvinistic 
Churches will grant that, we are agreed. But it is plain that the 
Calvinists cannot do so consistently with their own theory, for the 
moment that works are introduced, Election and Predestination must 
be given up ; for it must not be forgotten that Predestination and 
Regeneration are opposed to each other ; the one being the work of 
God, and the other the work of man. It may be pleasant for indolent 
man to be told that Works are not essential to Salvation, as that 
relieves him from the trouble of Self-exertion, Self-control, and Self- 
reformation; but, in exchange for that delusion, he must bend his 
neck under a yoke of burdensome and impracticable doctrines, which 
ignore liberty and the power of self-improvement, — a yoke which 
neither we nor our children are able to bear. If we take up this burden, 
we go back to the Jewish Religion, from which the load is borrowed, and 
then Christ has risen in vain — we are under the law of bondage, and 
not under grace. 



CALVINISM. 37 

The following extracts from the Works of Mr. J. S. Mill and Mr. 
Alison, show the withering effect of Calvinism on the character, which 
is as sad as it is true. 

" Human Nature being radically corrupt, there is no redemption for 
any one until Human Nature is killed within them. To those holding 
this theory of life, crushing out the human faculties, capacities, and 
susceptibilities, is no evil; man needs no capacity, but that of surren- 
dering himself. Such is the theory of Calvinism, — and it is held in a 
mitigated form by many who do not consider themselves Calvinists." — 

Mill on Liberty. 

"The first and greatest cause of the decline of civilization is of 
course the great revival of Calvinism in the course of the present cen- 
tury. This will appear, if I now describe the character which that 
theory of Religion produces. Calvinism kills the inner man, for in 
ignoring self-reliance, self-exertion, and self-reformation, it must have 
that effect. What is the type of the present age, but the absence of 
individual character, and what but to the revival of Calvinism can we 
ascribe that fearful result? The whole nation has been dwarfed by 
that revival; we have become a nation of little men, the essence of 
weakness, and with such men there is no saying what calamities may 
come upon us. The spread of the Revival Movement, as it is called, 
in all parts of the United Kingdom, is one of those calamities, the evil 
effects of which will soon be apparent, and I might easily mention other 
calamities equally great, which may be expected to befal us in our 
present defenceless state. To the Calvinistic movement must, therefore, 
be traced the great cause of the present decline of Civilization." — 

Philosophy of Civilization. 

If we are asked, what is the point in Theology, on which the present 
controversy ought to turn, we answer that the doctrine of Free Will is 
that point ; for that is the only doctrine which is sufficiently com- 
prehensive to embrace all other doctrines and controversies. Then, 
how is this momentous question of the Will to be set at rest ? We 
say, once admit that the Law of Truth exists in the mind of one and 
all, and the question is settled ; for if Truth is a reality, Free Will is 
the same. Truth convinces the Reason and bends the Will ; it changes 
opinions and beliefs, and of course, if we had no liberty to make these 
changes, we could not make them. Here we have the proof of Free 
Will, as clear and certain as it is possible to conceive anything certain. 
The following extract from " The Philosophy of Civilization," ought 
to set this important matter at rest. 

" That every man is endowed with the faculty of perceiving Truth, 
when it is fairly brought before him, is a fact which I have proved 
fifty times over by actual experiment. I have submitted a series of 
propositions to a mixed company, and before I left the room every 
one assented to all the propositions laid before them. This proves 
that there is not only such a thing as Truth, but that every man's 
mind is impressed with the faculty of perceiving it. No sooner was 
this important discovery made, than I set to work to complete the 
project I had in view, of which the present Work is the result ; in 
the assured confidence that I had only to define Truth, by applying 



38 CALVINISM. 

it to all knowledge, and lay it plainly before my readers, to produce a 
uniform result in the minds of all. This will no doubt startle many 
of my readers. They will be apt to exclaim, that it is contrary to 
all experience to find any set of opinions commanding the assent of 
all. To this I reply, that if opinions are true they will certainly 
produce the same effect on all honest minds. When dissent is pro- 
duced, that is the proof that the opinions offered are not true, or at 
least not the whole truth. I maintain that the test of a good style of 
writing is its facility of being understood ; and in like manner, the test 
of the truth of opinions is the facility of their commanding universal 
assent." 

Having now ascertained the existence of Truth and Free-will, all 
the subordinate doctrines of theology may easily be settled. Man 
having a free-will to think and act for himself, his thoughts and acts 
cannot have been predestinated by God. Neither can Original Sin be 
the cause of Evil within Man ; for, as Man possesses the ability to 
follow Truth, the idea of Original Sin, as the cause of the Evil Pas- 
sions, becomes altogether untenable. Man having the capacity to work 
out his own Salvation by following the precepts of the Gospel, Re- 
demption cannot come directly from the acts of God, but from 
the acts of Man. It follows, therefore, that the Atonement does not 
consist in the sacrifice of blood, but in the sacrifice of our Natural 
Affections. We have now shown that the beginning of Religion, 
worthy of the name, is » belief in Free-will ; for having made sure of 
that safe resting-place, we have no difficulty in dealing with all the 
subtleties with which theologians have mystified Religion. 

The difference between Ecclesiastical and Religious opinions or 
doctrines is, that while Ecclesiastical opinions are particular, and admit 
of a variety of different opinions, Religious Doctrines are general, and 
admit of only one opinion. Truth admits of only one opinion, but 
error of many difterent opinions. In following the course of truth, 
there can be only one opinion ; but to deviate from that course is to 
produce a diversity of opinions. It is a Reformation of Religious 
Opinions alone which we have undertaken to expound and direct, 
and in undertaking this great and responsible duty, on the principles 
of truth, consistency, and impartiality, the result cannot fail to be 
a great increase of unity and concord, not only in the Church, but in 
the political circles into which the Laity is at present divided ; nor 
do we hold out these bright prospects without at the same time giving 
sufficient reasons for entertaining them. 

The Protestant Churches may be divided into two great classes — 
the Arminians and the Calvinists. The Arminian Creed makes Man 
something ; but the Calvinists' Creed makes him nothing. In other 
words, while the Arminian accepts the doctrine of Free Will, which 
makes Man something, the Calvinist ignores that doctrine. The one 
theology is in direct opposition to the other; and to be consistent every 
Christian must either be the one or the other ; for, we cannot serve two 
masters, or be of two opposite religions. There is no other alternative 
consistent with truth and a good conscience, but to take the one Religion 
or the other ; and we trust the time has gone by when Religion, 



REVIVALISM. 39 

the most important part of Man's estate here below, can be allowed to 
remain everything and yet nothing ; for, while our Religion is in that 
primitive condition, we must ever be learning, and never coming to 
the knowledge of Truth. 

The Calvinists, instead of teaching men to exert themselves, rely 
on the miraculous Grace of God to do everything for them ; and, 
consistently enough, they deprecate Self-reliance in Religion, directly 
and indirectly in everything else. Now, if God's Government was 
miraculous, which the Apostle Paul tells us was not the case, — that 
very convenient doctrine of non-reliance would be all very well ; but 
as all experience goes to prove that miraculous agency is not true, 
we are only resting on a broken reed to listen to such teaching. We 
need not wonder that Religion and Civilization make no progress in 
the land, and consequently that sorrow and suffering experience no 
diminution, when we are taught to lean on that of which we have no 
evidence ; for, unless we are prepared to say and to prove that Man 
is governed by miraculous influences, what we have now said must 
be true. 

Such is the Religion which bears the name of Dr. Calvin, of which 
the Thirty-nine Articles and the Westminster Confession of Faith are 
the authorized versions. This Religion, which its founder borrowed 
from St. Augustan, who lived about the year a.d. 430, is likewise held 
by many who do not consider themselves Calvinists, but whose opinions 
are a practical embodiment of that faith. We now pass to a modern 
phase of the same religion — which is known as Revivalism — which 
may be said to be Calvinism in its worst form. 



€HAPTER IV. 

REVIVALISM. 

" Be not overcome of Evil, but overcome Evil with Good." 

We now come to one of the darkest spots of our history, namely, the 
rise and progress of Revivalism, an evil which is perhaps the greatest 
national calamity which has ever visited our shores. The importance of 
throwing light upon this subject cannot be overstated, and, knowing as 
we do, its vast power for evil to the destinies of this country, we 
shall not shrink from our duty. 

Revivalism may be described as Naturalism, for it is the ebullitions 
of Nature apart from the government of the intellect. The religion of 
nature is impulse, and the religion of Christ principle, and out of these 
two come Civilization and all that is good. Principle is one thing, 
nature another, and so different are they that the one may be said to be 
divine and the other human. It follows from these considerations that 
Nature without principle to govern it is evil, — it is neither Religion 
nor Civilization — in short it is retrogression and not progress. 



40 REVIVALISM. 

Revivalism is not the act of God, nor yet the act of a devil, but the 
act of man himself when left without the law of Truth to rule and 
guide him. The anarchy in the church, arising from the want of 
reform in her articles, has left man practically without a ruler, and it is 
therefore no wonder that he should have run to weeds. To say that 
Revivalism comes from God is to say that God is not the God of Truth, 
seeing that Revivals ignore that principle. Again, if we say that 
Revivals are the act of a devil, we encourage Satan's work in becoming 
the abettors of Revivalism. The moment we penetrate below the sur- 
face we find that Revivalism is neither more nor less than the evil 
passions of man stirred up by those who are ignorant of the constitution 
of human nature, and of the glorious scheme of the Gospel which 
Christ hath worked out for its redemption. 

But if we are told that after a Revival the catalogue of crime is 
reduced, we answer that may be so, for although one evil may cast out 
another, it does not follow that any cure is effected. By giving a new 
direction to the mind we may change erring mortals into fanatics, and 
although crime and drunkenness may in this way be arrested, other 
worse evils take their place. Depend upon it there is only one way of 
making men good, and that is, by recognising his capacity to improve 
himself, and by submitting to the dictates of truth and principle. That 
is a different religion from anything taught at revival meetings, for such 
meetings are popular, because they gratify the feelings instead of 
denying them. Exaggerated ideas of sin, and* equally exaggerated 
ideas of punishment by hell-fire, are the weapons of revivalists — a 
religion as unlike the gospel, which is a religion of love, as it is possible 
to conceive. We may as well expect to gather figs of thistles as to find 
men bearing the fruits of Righteousness without submitting to the law 
of Truth. If it is bad morality to say that the feelings are to rule 
the intellect, it must be bad religion to allow the natural feelings to 
govern. 

In America it was found that the commercial distress of 1857 greatly 
increased the Revivals in that country, and if, in the providence of God, 
England should be visited with hard times owing to the failure of the 
harvest of last year, we may expect an increase of Revivalism in this 
country, unless in the mean time the reformation movement we have 
undertaken shall have attained a power equal to counteract the evil. 
In the event of bad times coming upon us it will be too much to expect 
that the reformation, let it be ever so successful, could change bad times 
into good times ; but this we may promise, that the hardness of the 
times will be greatly lightened, and their duration shortened, by the 
reformation. As material prosperity depends for the most part on 
moral prosperity, we may hail the advent of the new Reformation as 
the herald of a better time, for instead of the energies of the people 
being crippled by fanaticism, they will be strengthened by true religion. 
Let us take courage therefore, for the gloom of the present will ere 
long produce a reaction if we only sow liberally, and at the same time 
keep down the weeds. 

Not only is Religion threatened by the spread of Revivalism, but 
Civilization itself — for a nation given over to the dominion of the 



REVIVALISM. 41 

feelings is a nation in which Civilization is at a low ebb. With the 
decline of Civilization we must expect the decline of every interest 
in the country ; and we call the special attention of our statesmen 
to the matter, so that they may be induced to pass the Church Reform 
Bill with as little delay as possible. 

Hitherto the people have only heard of religion without works, now 
they must learn that without works religion is dead. Luther said 
that all the devils in hell would never be able to overturn his doctrine 
of " Justification without Works,'" but we say that erroneous doctrine 
has at last worked its own cure, for now that we see its evil effects, 
nothing can save it from destruction. 

If we are told that Revivalism is only an excrescence on religion, 
and that the Clergy are not responsible for it, we answer that it is 
only partially true. The Church teaches men to doubt, if not entirely 
to deny their own capacity to improve ; and when men are thus practi- 
cally left without a Doctrine, what can they do but have recourse to 
another doctrine, even the religion of nature ? Had the clergy appre- 
hended what the gospel really was, they would have taught a very 
different religion, in which case, the revivals would have had no 
existence. 

From Judaism and Catholicism we have gone to Calvinism and 
Armenianism, and from these to Spiritualism and Revivalism. But all 
these forms of religion we reject as more or less erroneous, and in their 
stead we take the true gospel. ( See the revised Articles of Faith, 
an outline of which will be found in Essay I, to which we 
specially refer our readers.) There is nothing hidden which shall not 
be revealed ; and we shall do our best to forward that glorious work 
of universal enlightenment, which is destined to set the world free from 
sin and misery ; and if we may say that darkness or ignorance is the 
kingdom of Satan, that kingdom must come to an end. 

The Evangelical Alliance have in an evil hour ordered a day of 
general prayer for the increase of revivalism, and we mention the cir- 
cumstance in the hope that that influential society may see the necessity 
of reconsidering the matter and of aiding us in our efforts for a reforma- 
tion. Instruction as to what is good and true is that which is wanting, 
and if the Evangelical Alliance will turn their attention to the enlighten- 
ment of the world, they will become evangelists in the proper sense of 
the word. 

If we, like others, had confined our efforts to the reformation of 
practice, we could have effected nothing, for practice is an effect, not 
a cause. It is precept that is at fault, accordingly we seek the refor- 
mation of private and public opinion, and of the standards of the 
Church, contained in the Thirty-Nine Articles, which may be said 
to form the basis of public opinion. To teach the doctrine of non- 
self-reliance, and then to blame men for the want of better practice, 
which can only come from self-reliance, is neither truth nor justice; 
and in saying that the fault lies in the want of better precept we only 
state a truth which every man who considers the subject must acknow- 
ledge. It is a happy circumstance that the want of the Fruits of 
Righteousness should arise from the want of good doctrine, for if the 

B 



42 REVIVALISM. 

evil had arisen from the want of practice, of course there would be no 
remedy. 

Were we to leave the doctrine of the atonement unreformed, there 
could be no Reformation — the world must continue to grope on in the 
dark as heretofore, and instead of sin and misery being reduced, they 
would increase, for the more we cling to the idea of a "Sacrificial 
Atonement," as the Jews did, the more must the world increase in 
disobedience. 

What was the state of the Jewish nation, when they had filled up 
the measure of their iniquity by their manifold atonements ? It was 
this. The prophets prophesied falsely, the priests ruled by their means 
and the people loved to have it so (Jer. v. 31). And if Calvinism and 
Revivalism have not yet brought us to the same hopeless state as they 
brought the Jews, we are to all appearance rapidly approaching it. We 
shall not dwell on this sad picture, for our prophets and priests are at 
length preparing to set their houses in order, so that the present deplor- 
able state of the Church and the world may be exchanged for a great 
day of reformation and regeneration. 

The doctrine of sacrifice exclusively belongs to the Mosaic Dispen- 
sation, and it is because we have adopted that doctrine in a mitigated 
form in the Christian Dispensation, that a Reformation is now called 
for. We hope, therefore, that those who make objections to the new 
doctrine of the atonement will consider the matter maturely, for 
unless a complete change of that doctrine is effected, there can be no 
reformation. The object of the New Reformation is to make the world 
better, but if we are refused those doctrines which are indispensably 
necessary to effect that object, of course nothing can be done. Every 
man has a direct interest in the reformation of the doctrine of the 
atonement, and we trust no objections on that point will be offered, for 
if there are, the Reformation cannot be carried. Instead of Revival 
Meetings, let us have Reformation Meetings in every church and 
chapel of the empire, and the Reformation will be carried in less than 
a year. 

We now conclude the theological part of this work. Essay No. 1 
has shown what Religion ought to be, and No. 2 what it ought not to 
be. The result of the whole enquiry shows that there is ample room 
for a much greater reformation than the Reformation of Luther. 
Let us therefore rejoice, for that fact, once known, indicates that we 
we are about to enter on a new era in which peace and good-will shall 
take the place of the evils which at present afflict society. Let us not 
look back with regret on the things that we are obliged to leave behind 
us, but rather forward to those that are before, lest we deprive 
ourselves of the benefits of a Reformation which are offered for the 
acceptance of all. 



FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 43 



CHAPTER Y. 

FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 

" They who sow bountifully, shall also reap bountifully." 

Look at the Books which form the stock of nine-tenths of our 
Libraries, and tell us the amount of reality to be found in them. 
This literature is the growth of the present century, and indicates 
a departure from reality and intelligence, and the abuse of the 
imagination. Now, what is the imagination to which these writings 
are addressed, and after the fashion of which the character of the 
age is being moulded ? The best answer we can give is, that 
the abuse of the imagination is spiritualising over much, or rather 
spiritualising on nothing. We grant that the abuse of the imagination, 
like the abuse of everything else, has its peculiar pleasures; but we 
may rely upon it that these pleasures are obtained at the expense of 
the higher faculties. In the absence of knowledge and moral worth, 
the mind fills up the blank with the imagination, — a faculty to which 
one thing is as true as another ; and so that the things imagined give 
pleasure, that is the great consideration. 

The remedy for this state of society is very simple : let Free Public 
Libraries be established in every parish, in which works of fiction shall 
be excluded. Then the people will have free access to the best books, 
and authors will be encouraged to write books addressed to the intellect 
and good-sense of the people. One reason why novels are read more 
than any other books is the high price of good books compared with 
the price of novels and cheap literature. Would any one believe that 
in a great city like Brighton not a single library possesses a copy of 
Mill's "Liberty"? The only remedy is Public Libraries; and if we 
think the education of the people of any value, these libraries will be 
established. What is to prevent the Committee of Council on Education 
from assisting in the establishment of public libraries in the chief towns 
and cities of the empire, and to encourage authors by taking from five 
hundred to a thousand copies of every good book which comes out, for 
the supply of these libraries ? That Committee spends £800,000 a year 
in teaching boys and girls to read and write, but gives nothing to keep 
up the education of those children after they leave school ; and if the 
Privy Council would bestow a twentieth part of that sum on free 
libraries they would be repaid a thousandfold. That, we think, is the 
way to encourage Literature and Education among the people. 

It was thought that Cheap Literature was only another word for 
the Diffusion of Knowledge, but alas ! the very reverse has been the 
result. With the diffusion of books their quality has gone off — the 
public taste has been vitiated by trash, and no market is left for any- 
thing else. We have come to this, that all that is of value cannot be 

b 2 



44 FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 

had, and all that is worthless is forced upon us at every corner of our 
streets. Many of our readers may think we are too severe on the weak- 
nesses of the age, but there is nothing like being candid, if we desire 
any reformation, and we shall be glad if any one will have the courage 
to say that we have drawn a picture which the actual state of Literature 
does not warrant. Nothing now can avert this downward course but 
the Public Libraries we propose. Mr. Milner Gibson has done good 
work in relieving knowledge from taxation : will he now lend us 
helping hand in the establishment of these Libraries, without which all 
that has been done is worthless ? That Lord Brougham and Mr. Gibso 
and a host of others should have paid so much attention to the diffusio 
of knowledge for the last thirty years, without at the same time doing 
something to improve its quality, is to us inexplicable. We are decidedly 
going backwards ; and what our state will be this time ten years, if 
nothing be done to stay the evil, we leave our readers to say. 

Oliver Goldsmith says, "Above all things never touch a Novel or 
Romance which paint beauty in colours more charming than nature, 
and describe happiness which man never tastes," and he might have 
added, which never existed. This remark of course can only apply to 
Novels which are not true to nature. 

Our plan is this We intend to apply to the Privy Council for a 
grant of £10,000, which will be sufficient for the establishment of one 
hundred Libraries. Should this sum be granted, we undertake to dis- 
pose of it, to the best of our judgment, in the establishment of Libraries 
and Reading Rooms in the chief towns and villages of the country. 
We propose that the Provincial Libraries shall pay their own expenses, 
and that we shall supply them with books free of cost, as explained 
by the following Prospectus : — 

1. The Library and Reading Room is to be supported by voluntary 
subscriptions, and its affairs are to be managed by a Committee, to be 
elected by the subscribers, who will pay the salary of the Librarian, 
the rent of the Rooms, and the cost of Newspapers and Periodicals. 

2. The Committee will apply to the Reformation Society of London 
for the books they require for the original stock of the Library, and 
also, from time to time, for new books, free of charge. 

3. All persons residing within three miles of the Library to be 
entitled to be members, without payment, on their presenting a card, 
filled up and signed by any respectable householder of the district ; blank 
cards to be furnished by the Secretary or Church Warden. 

4. The Library books and furniture, to be vested in the names of 
three Trustees, to consist of the Mayor or Magistrate, and such two 
others as may be chosen. 

5. Every member to be entitled to not more than one volume at a 
time, and to have a right to frequent the Reading Room and Library 
between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., subject to the Bye-Laws. of 
the Library. Dictionaries and Books of Reference are not to be lent 
out, but read in the Library and Reading Rooms. 

6. Although the books are to be supplied gratis by the Refor- 
mation Society, it is distinctly understood that that Society is not to 
exercise any control over the Library or the Committee of Management. 



d 

s 



FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 45 

The only condition which the Society makes, is, that books of fiction 
shall not be introduced into the Library. To do that, would have the 
effect of defeating the object of inducing the people to avail themselves 
of the benefits of sound Literature, fitted to form and exalt the 
character. 

To keep up the interest of the Libraries in their respective localities, 
it will be necessary to furnish them with a constant supply of new 
books. To supply the new books as they issue from the press, we 
propose to establish a great Central Library or Depot in London, from 
r hich we shall lend to the Provincial Libraries such books as they may 
•equire, free of cost. The Depot will consist of nothing but new books, 
of which from two hundred to five hundred copies of each book will be 
kept constantly in stock or in circulation. Such, then, is our scheme 
for establishing one hundred Libraries as a beginning, and of supplying 
them with the best New Literature. 

To ensure the success of our Library scheme, we think it essential 
that the carrying it out should be placed in the hands of a private 
association, who will be responsible to the Government and the Public, 
in preference to its being undertaken directly by the Government. Now, 
as our Society is unconnected with any party either Political or Reli- 
gious*, it is in a position to do full justice to it ; we trust, therefore, that 
the proposal now submitted to the consideration of the country, will 
meet with the cordial support and approval of all parties. 

We are willing to take upon ourselves all the trouble and respon- 
sibility of conducting this, one of the most important measures for 
educating the people that was perhaps ever proposed in any country, 
and as our Annual Reports will place us under the control of public 
opinion and Parliament, the interests of the public will be carefully 
guarded. 

We must explain that our object is not merely to encourage reading 
among the working classes, but also to provide the people with a com- 
fortable and profitable place of resort, so as to divert them as much as 
possible from the public-house, which is at present the only place open 
to our artizans, on whose well-being the interests of the nation so much 
depend. 

The following extract from the Observer is valuable, as a testimony, 
from one of our most esteemed journals, that the opinions we have 
expressed, as to the weakness of Literature, and the necessity for its 
reformation, are correct. 

" Our author considers that, at this moment Literature is overrun 
with weeds, and in this he is certainly right — the sorriest trash being 
now the food of the public appetite for knowledge ; and he advocates, 
as a remedy for this inundation of unhealthy books, the establishment 
of a free public library in every parish of the empire. ' With the dif- 
fusion of books, their quality has gone off, the public taste has been 
vitiated by trash, and no market is left for anything else.' In illustra- 
tion of this proposition — and a pregnant illustration it is too — he says, 
* Would any one believe that in a wealthy and populous place like 
Brighton, not a single library possesses a copy of Mill's ' Liberty ? ' " — 

Observer. 






46 THE REFORMATION IN FRANCE. 

In conclusion, we have to request that those parties who may 
desire to have a Free Library established in their localities, will put 
themselves in communication with our Secretary — so that our hands 
may be strengthened when we come before the Privy Council for a 
grant. We shall tell that Council, that, if they will give us the 
money, we shall save millions, which would otherwise be spent on 
strikes among workmen, and other evils arising from the want of intelli- 
gence ; and if we are supported by hundreds of applications for Free 
Libraries, we shall not be sent empty away. 

Should the Committee of Council prefer to establish Public Libraries 
themselves, we shall have no objections, neither shall we be disappointed 
if they employ some other Society to do the work for them ; on the 
contrary, we should prefer to be released from the undertaking. All 
we say is this, that if the Committee choose to entrust us with the 
money, we shall lay it out to the best of our judgment, in the manner 
we have specified in these pages. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE REFORMATION IN FRANCE. 

By J. M. Cayla, of Paris. 

The interest which for some time past has attached itself to religious 
questions has equalled, if it has not even surpassed, the question of 
politics. In fact, in all the states of Europe the question of Religion 
is the one great topic, and it is publicly and anxiously discussed. 

It is not only against Austria and against the King of Naples that 
Italy has opposed herself, but also against the temporal power of the 
Pope, — so hostile to the independence of the Peninsula. In France 
the discussions upon the temporal power, and even upon the spiritual 
power of the Pope have taken such a form, that the project of consti- 
tuting a National Church has been seriously proposed. 

It may be truly said that we are arrived at a period of the world 
when Religion requires modifications and reforms like the time of 
the sixteenth century; and it is not only in Catholic countries that 
the necessity of modifying, or rather of regenerating, the old system 
is felt, for we find it in an equally strong degree among Protestants, 
and especially amongst our allies in Great Britain. This feeling is 
now almost universal in England ; and the New Reformation Society 
has been established under the influence and patronage of parties of 
the highest position, and with the very best intentions. The treatise of 
Mr. Alison, of which we give the translation, very plainly indicates 
the spirit and objects of this Society, and the reasons which have made 
it almost indispensable. 

Mr. Alison, who is the author of the Philosophy and History of 
Civilization, one of the most remarkable books, in all respects, of 
modern times, has extracted from it the principles of the New Refor- 



THE REFORMATION IN FRANCE. 47 

mation — and we hasten to make them known in France — by doing 
which we render a double service to our Catholic and Protestant fellow 
countrymen. The new Reformation is neither exclusive or intolerant, 
as nearly every other Religious Society hitherto formed has been. 

On reading the pages of Mr. Alison's work we have felt almost a 
Divine inspiration ; and we can imagine that we are at last approaching 
that happy epoch of toleration and brotherly love, — the glorious and 
sublime end of modern Civlization. These words of concord and 
peace, amidst the exciting discussions now going on, have caused us a 
most heartfelt joy, for they show us plainly that the day of true 
Christian fraternity is not far distant. 

The treatise on the new Reformation addresses itself to Catholics 
as well as to Protestants. The writer, after having plainly shown that 
Religion requires to be regenerated, because it is no longer equal to 
the Avants and aspirations of the nineteenth century ; after having 
demonstrated that considering the immense advancement which has 
taken place during five hundred years in civilization generally, Religion 
alone ought not to remain in a state of utter immobility. Mr. Alison 
addresses himself first of all to the Protestant Churches, which is, 
as he truly informs us, the only portion of the state which has not 
been reformed since 1559. 

Our author shows that the times in which we live are much more 
eventful from the importance of our discoveries, and by the rapid 
strides of our civilization generally, than the sixteenth century, and 
the brilliant epoch of the Renaissance. He is quite right — 
Protestantism requires to be reformed, and if Luther and Calvin 
could come again into the world, they would work ' along with 
Mr. Alison to make the Reformation perfect. 

The great obstacle which all reformers have hitherto met with has 
been the impossibility of striking out a plan whieh would command 
general approval. Mr. Alison has happily triumphed over this obstacle, 
which was thought insurmountable ; a,nd the reason is, that he has 
founded his principles on the laws of toleration and love, which are 
as necessary to enable us to arrive at a peaceful end in religion, as 
ordinary laws are in civil matters. The writer does not propose to 
establish a court of justice to protect liberty of discussion ; but he 
thinks, and he is quite right, that the reform of the Thirty -Nine Articles 
of the Protestant Church will be sufficient ; and that once accomplished, 
a visible improvement will take place in public morals and manners. 

The chapter devoted to Roman Catholicism is equally conclusive 
and remarkable. Some passages in the treatise on Civilization 
demonstrate the false position which the Roman Catholic Church has 
placed itself in by its exaggerated pretensions ; and he places the 
Roman Catholic question in its true light. Governments have learned 
to live in unity with one another, and what is practicable in politics, 
ought to be equally so in Religion. 

The spiritual and temporal power of the Pope were established about 
the same time, and it is tolerably certain that they will fall together. 
But the question is, in what way can the Roman Catholic Church 
refoim itself? The answer is, by the assembly of a Council General, 



48 THE REFORMATION IN FRANCE. 

which would be one of the most important events of the age. Mr. 
Alison also very properly insists on the priests being allowed to 
marry ; the book of prayer being translated into modern languages ; 
the giving up of the confessional, of modern miracles, of the belief in 
purgatory, &c, &c. 

We will not anticipate the decisions of the forthcoming Council 
General. Luther committed one great fault in changing in an ar- 
bitrary way the existing faith, instead of establishing it on certain 
principles. This great, and much to be regretted error has been the 
cause of the many controversies and schisms which have so frequently 
agitated the Protestant Church. By adopting the new Reformation, 
both Catholics and Protestants will escape the errors, the intolerance, 
and the priestly exaggerations which now so unhappily exist. 

The writer consecrates his final chapter to the proper interpretation 
of the Bible. We will not anticipate by analysis, these religious 
axioms, in which the sublime ideas of the author will be found ex- 
pressed with as much clearness as precision. Catholics and Protestants 
will find in them an ample harvest of good doctrine. 

We do not hesitate to assert that the treatise on the new Reformation 
is a work of the most valuable description; and when the object pro- 
posed is attained, there will be established in Europe a Christian union 
under the happy influence of Toleration and Charity — virtues unknown 
among barbarous nations, and only practised by people really civilized. 
For too long a time have Protestants and Catholics looked upon each 
other as condemned to eternal damnation. Happily, the first call for 
Reformation comes to us from London, and this appeal will be listened to 
and felt by all sincerely Christian men, who care for progress and truth. 

What is more than probable, is that this step, in doing away with 
the religious prejudices which have always existed, will have greater in- 
fluence than any Government measures could have, in bringing France 
and England together in the bonds of common love. National hatreds 
and rivalry will soon be effaced and will disappear; and we doubt not 
that the concessions which have been already made in political matters, 
will serve as a lesson to be learned and adopted by Catholic priests and 
English clergymen. Treaties of Commerce and of friendship have been 
concluded. The flags of the two nations, so long rivals, have floated 
together, uniting their colours like the colours in a rainbow. 

And truly, if the two Churches will agree to the reforms Mr. Alison 
points out so wisely, it will be one of the strongest pledges for the 
peace of the world. For there is little doubt, that the chief obstacle 
which has hitherto existed to that great end, has been the difference of 
religion, and the intolerance and bad feeling it has engendered. 

The Alliance of France and England, those two heads of civilization 
— those two great centres of progress, will for ever be indissoluble, 
when the two nations shall have adopted one single reformed faith. 
This, indeed, is a great event to work for, and it would formerly have 
appeared impossible ; but in these days, events march rapidly, and 
enormous changes are at hand. Blind faith in the Church doctrines 
has had its day, and now human reason will surely advance and re- 
conquer its rights. 



THE REFORMATION IN FRANCE. 49 

The initiative of this movement comes from Protestant England, 
which demands a Reformation ; and it is now plain that Catholicism 
will take the same determination. The first step indeed is now being 
taken, and ere long the temporal power of the Pope, if not his spiritual 
power, will be at an end — a consummation most devoutly to be wished. 

Christ has said, "Peace and goodwill among men" We say, in con- 
clusion, to all Catholics and Protestants, Christianity ought no longer 
to be what was sufficient for the middle ages; it must no longer be left 
in the mire of the past, but it must be made to 'enter in its purity into 
the souls of all. Protestantism is imperfect, and Catholicism has its 
great defects. Let each take his part to enlighten and improve the 
people — to make them really better, first of all by the spirit of tolera- 
tion, and then by new precepts combined with practice. 

The new Reformation proposed by Mr. Alison, and the Society to 
which he belongs, seem to be able to carry out this great object, — and 
for that reason, we now lay before the people of France his most admi- 
rable work. 

J. M. CAYLA, 
Author of " The Pope and the Emperor." 

Paris, 10th February, 1861. 

The important announcement now made by M. Cayla, that France is 
preparing to call a General Council of the Church, with a view to the 
establishment of a National Church, independent of Rome, is news of 
no ordinary character, for we may now look forward with confidence to 
a reformation of the Catholic Church all over Europe. When we 
remember the position of France, with regard to the Press, we can 
understand why the French public should have taken up the idea of a 
religious reformation with such avidity. France possesses no intelligible 
Articles of Religion, consequently Public Opinion and a Free Press 
were apt to become a Babel of tongues. The Emperor and his Ministers, 
ever anxious to give the people Liberty of discussion, doubtless 
desire a Code of Articles which may serve as a point around which 
discussion may cluster. The object of a definite code of opinions is not, 
of course, to dictate to the people what they are to believe and receive, 
but merely as an authorised standard around which their discussions 
may turn, for in legalising Articles of Religion, the right of private 
judgment will be recognised by these Articles. Such being the nature 
of the proposal which we have been the humble instruments of bringing 
under the notice of the French public, we are not surprised that our 
allies, who have been so long deprived of the privileges of a Free Press, 
should have welcomed it in the way they have done. 

France cannot be free until she has Religious as well as Civil Liberty, 
and those who now so ably rule over the destinies of that great country 
know full well that it will be much easier to effect the object desired by 
carrying on a Religious as well as a Political Reformation, than if they 
were to confine their efforts to a Political Reformation, for to leave 
Religion unreformed is to leave behind them an element of discord 
which would sooner or later overturn any possible Civil Reformation 
that could be devised. 



50 THE REFORMATION IN FRANCE. 

It is only deceiving ourselves to imagine that the Pope can be perma- 
nently dethroned as a King in Italy unless he is dethroned as a Universal 
Priest all over the world, for the Spiritual Kingdom will do battle for 
the Temporal Kingdom so long as it remains. The public spirit and 
wisdom of the Emperor is equal to the exigencies of the times over 
which he has been called to preside, for the day that Napoleon gave a 
Free Press to France the knell of Catholic usurpation was virtually 
rang. Nothing can now save the Pope, but half measures on the part 
of his opponents, and if the liberal party are so blind as to attempt to 
carry on the Political Reformation without the aid which a Spiritual 
Reformation will give, they will not only deserve to lose the day, but 
will assuredly lose it. We are glad to see that our own press is 
beginning to read the signs of the times in a better spirit than hereto- 
fore, of which the following article from the Times, is an example : — 

"We have no objection to be blamed, we should feel the greatest 
disgust at being praised, by such orators. (The ultramontane party in 
the French Parliament). Their taunts are as much without point as 
their menaces are without strength and their counsels without wisdom. 
We cannot wonder that those who counsel France to link her destiny 
with an exploded Theocracy, to ally herself with all that is retrograde 
and feeble among the Monarchies of Europe, should advise her to keep 
aloof from the alliance of such a country as England. We cannot 
wonder that those who are never weary of promulgating a policy of 
Selfishness and Jealousy, should select England — which has no obsolete 
party interest to serve, and no superannuated hatreds to gratify — as 
the mark of their rage and pointless denunciations. They, the Tory 
party, are worthy of their cause, and deserve to live under a Pope and 
a King of Naples, rather than under the existing government of France. 
The Emperor has no reason to regret that his opponents have shown 
themselves in their true colours. He has proved to the world that his 
policy can stand the test of the most rancorous public attack, and 
come out all the brighter from the ordeal. He has shown that he has 
no occasion to silence men who have only to speak freely to call down 
upon themselves the reprobation of the wise and good of all nations, 
and he has probably done much to reconcile France to his domination 
by giving her a convincing proof of the quality of the men from 
whose hands he has snatched her." — Times, 14th March, 186L 

The following confirmation of the opinions so feelingly expressed by 
the Times, is from the Presse: — 

"The English press has shown surprise at seeing the policy of 
the Government attacked with sueh violence and bitterness by those 
very men whom the Prefects had pointed out with so much solicitude 
to the electors. The first use which the old parties have made of the 
Liberty of the Press now restored to them is to attack liberty, and to 
preach the restoration of principles which admit neither the freedom of 
discussion nor of thought. The fact is, the Papal tory party of 
Franee are always the same ; they neither advance nor reeoil ; they learn 
nothing and forget nothing. It is of no use to think of enlightening 
them, of reasoning with or of changing them. It is only time that can 
act on them, by causing their disappearance. England has taken more 



THE REFORMATION IN FRANCE. 51 

than a century to rid herself of the partisans of the Stuarts ; she still has 
her incorrigible Irish, who yield in nothing for violence and unreason- 
ableness to the French Legitimists and Ultramontanes. What is certain 
and tranquilizing is, that neither the one nor the other represents the 
majority of the two nations." — Presse. 

Some say that the Catholic Church will be the first to reform, others 
that the Protestant Church will be first ; but we say that the Refor- 
mation will in all probability go on simultaneously in both Churches, 
for it is impossible to conceive that the one Church can be reformed 
without producing a reformation of the other. As well suppose that a 
weight can be put into one scale without effecting the other scale. 

We are entirely opposed to the Republican form of Government 
under any possible circumstances. Republics did not answer in Ancient 
times. In the Middle Ages they were a failure ; and now, in Modern 
times, we have probably seen the last of them, in witnessing the down- 
fall of the great American Republic. The evil of a Republic is, that 
it creates ambition, envy, and jealousy, for every one expects to be 
President some day ; whereas, with a Hereditary King, that office is 
placed beyond the reach of all. This difference between the two sys- 
tems is sufficient of itself to account for the success of the one form of 
Government, and the failure of the other. This opinion is fully sup- 
ported by the experience of the great revolutionary years of 1848 and 
1860. In 1848, a Republic was tried in France and Italy, and both 
attempts proved utter failures. In 1860, a Kingdom for all Italy was 
tried, and has entirely succeeded. 

The object is, of course, not one form of Government more than 
another, but the Liberty of the People and the Peace of Europe ; and 
we trust the experience of the last twelve years has shown to a demon- 
stration the vast superiority of a Constitutional Regal Government over 
any other form of Government whatever. We are satisfied, that if 
Garibaldi and his friends adopt the Republican policy this year, they 
will run the risk of losing all they gained last year ; whereas, if they 
take the opposite course, and tell us plainly and frankly what they are 
going to do, so that England may be united as one man in their favour, 
that their most sanguine wishes and expectations will be realised. 
The issue of the conflict will depend very much on the course 
England takes, for if this country was to be divided in opinion, and 
thus be forced to remain neutral, the liberal interest would be deprived 
of the aid of one of the Great Powers, and, without that aid, France 
and Italy will scarcely be able to contend successfully with their 
opponents. In these circumstances, it is of vital importance that the 
Liberals should be united in opinion as to the form of Government 
which is henceforth to form the policy of Europe. 

With the exception of the Reformation movement all things betoken 
war, but let that movement spread itself over all Europe, and the causes 
of strife and war will be rooted out when universal war will be turned 
into universal peace. 



52 THE ENGLISH REFORMATION. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE ENGLISH REFORMATION. 

" There is nothing hidden which shall not be revealed." 

It has been said, that our movement is similar to the celebrated 
" Essays and Reviews" — -but, so far as we can understand that volume, 
we differ materially from it. On the doctrines of Free Will, Original 
Sin, and the Atonement, we seem to be as one, but on Conversion and 
Inspiration we apparently differ. The Essayists do not put forward 
their views as a complete system of theology; it, therefore, appears to 
us to be premature to judge of their scheme of reform until they have 
completed it — which they will probably do so soon as they feel them- 
at liberty to speak without reserve. As the Essays and Reviews disap- 
prove of Revivalism and Puritanism, we do not see how they can con- 
sistently countenance Spiritualism — -for, as already explained, Revi- 
valism and Spiritualism are only two phases of Naturalism. In these 
circumstances, we must wait for a new issue of Essays and Reviews 
before we can offer any opinion beyond this, that they are essentially 
different from our Work. 

We understand that Messrs. Parker and Son, the original publishers 
of the " Essays and Reviews" have refused to go on with the publi- 
cation in consequence of the interference of the Bishops and other 
members of the Convocation. This incident, which may be considered 
a species of persecution, shows the state of bondage in which the book 
press is, and we hope our mentioning the circumstance will be approved 
of, for publicity is the only way of achieving the liberty of the press. 
With regard to ourselves, we beg to say that if any of the Clergy have 
objections to make to our Essays, that they will answer them. If they 
have a good case it will bear the light, and if not, they will but consult 
their own reputation by remaining silent, and allowing us to proceed in 
peace with our work. 

The trumpet of Reformation shall sound seven times ; and if the 
opponents of reform and improvement are so much disconcerted by 
the first blast, what may we not expect when the trumpets which are 
yet to sound shall be heard. We are but at the beginning, of the end ; 
and if our opponents were wise they would take some better mode of 
effecting their purpose than by tampering with booksellers. Let such 
look to their flocks, for there they will find that religion only exists in 
name, and if they can account for this deplorable result, except in the 
want of a Reformation, we shall be greatly obliged to them to say so, 
for nothing but the necessities of the case would have induced us to 
take the trouble of reforming the Church. 

An incident has just occurred in connection with the present move- 
ment, which is so characteristic of a section of the Protestant Church, 



THE ENGLISH REFORMATION. 53 

that we hope we may be allowed to mention it. One of these Tracts 
was handed to two clergymen, with a respectful request that they would 
read it over, and give us the benefit of their opinions. After two days, 
the Tract was returned to us, with a polite message to say, that it was 
not such as they could read. We have heard of this phase of intole- 
rance among the Jews, and even among the Catholics, but we did not 
expect to find it among Protestants, more especially among Clergymen 
of the Church of England. The self-righteousness of the unbelieving 
Pharisees of old was nothing to this; for they listened to Christ, and 
put questions to him; but behold, the Pharisees of modern times will 
neither listen nor read. To such men the Gospel is not sent; for they 
that be whole need no physician. 

If we should be told that it is Belief and not knowledge that is 
wanting, we answer that Belief is measured by knowledge. Where 
there is little knowledge there is little true belief; but where know- 
ledge abounds true belief abounds. Such being the origin of true 
belief, it follows that the enlightenment of the world is all that is 
wanting to produce good and reduce evil. 

Again, if we are told that we are destroying Fear, and make too 
much of love, we answer, that we read that love is destined to cast out 
fear. Fear and love are opposite feelings ; and although fear may be 
good and necessary in an early stage of Civilization, it does not follow 
that man is always to be under that bondage. Let it not, however, be 
said that we cast away fear, for although we deny the existence of 
fire in hell, and the personality of Satan, we make man responsible 
for all his opinions, which the Church does not, — the only difference 
between the unreformed faith and ours, being in the things to be feared. 
In the Reformed Church, fear will not interfere with love, whereas, 
with our present faith fear and love run counter to each other, and 
bring the soul into bondage. 

There is only one more objection which we must meet. We are told 
that we give too much to man, and too little to God — that in building 
up Human Nature we dethrone God. This is a grave charge but is 
it true. What are facts but truth, and the evidence of facts has 
compelled us to make the division we have made, for we have no choice 
in the matter. To assign to God any of the works of erring mortals, 
is not only to involve God in the sins of man, but to produce super- 
stition, for what is superstition but belief in that which is opposed to 
reason and evidence. We may rely upon it that instead of honoring 
God by assigning the works of man to Him, we must dishonor Him ; 
and if our readers will only look into this important matter in the 
light of their own experience, they will think as we think. 

What is principle, what is conscience, what is the feeling of responsi- 
bility, yea, what is truth ? Are not all these the spirit of God ? and 
do not these pages bring that voice within the hearing of all ? Those 
who are animated and governed by the spirit of truth become the 
temples of the living God, which cannot be said of those who ignore 
that principle. Let it not be said that we rob God that we may enrich 
man, for in exalting man we exalt our Maker. 

Who is able to discover God to perfection, but he who is changed 
into His image. Do not say look here or look there, for behold God is 



54 THE ENGLISH REFORMATION. 

with you. A time shall come, and it may not be far off, when all shall 
know the Lord, from the least to the greatest, and it is by the progress 
of truth and its operation on the mind, that this sublime end of Religion 
and Civilization is to be reached. Let it not be said that by following 
the course of truth we keep God at a distance, which is so often said of 
those who attempt to reform Religion, for on the contrary, we bring 
God near, even within the experience of all who are willing to submit 
themselves to the rule and guidance of truth. 

Again, if we are told that we make man better than he really is, we 
say, look at the chapters we have written on Calvinism and Revivalism, 
and say if we could have written these if we thought man so very good. 
Is it not because we think man is in need of a Reformation, that we 
propose one ? 

We have said that the time of universal enlightenment is at hand, 
when darkness, error, and evil, will for the most part cease. Let us 
therefore wait with patience and hope, for we greatly mistake the signs 
of the times in which our lot is cast, if the glory of our day falls short of 
all we have said. What truth is more in accordance with scripture and 
experience than this — that man is a fellow-worker with his Maker for 
the production of good and reduction of evil in the world, and now 
that that great and glorious truth is fairly recognised, and is about to be 
carried out in practice, we cannot doubt that the Kingdom of Darkness 
will now actually come to an end. Darkness, that mystery of iniquity, 
the true Anti-Christ, the god of this world, which ruleth over the 
nations, is about to fall ; let us therefore look on with wonder and great 
joy, for great will be the fall thereof. 

The reformation of opinions set forth in these Essays may be com- 
pared to a house which has been swept and newly furnished. The 
sweeping is the expulsion of the old opinions, and the refurnishing is 
the new opinions. In refurnishing, we clear out the accumulation of 
old furnishings, collected at different times and under different circum- 
stances, none of which are in keeping; some are patched, some worn 
out, and none fit the places in which they stand, or answer the purposes 
they were intended to serve. Not so the new furniture, which is all of 
a piece. The old furniture is heavy, bulky, and always in the way; 
but the new is light, simple, and easily handled. The old furniture 
was made for ostentation rather than use, but the new is unpretending 
and useful. 

The only direction which a Reformation in harmony with the Gospel 
can take is that of Reason, for to go in the opposite direction is to 
go to naturalism. In reforming the Jewish religion Christ introduced 
Reason, and in now returning to pure Christianity, Reason is once 
more introduced. It is the presence of Truth and Reason in religion 
which constitutes the offence of the Gospel ; but that offence will cease 
so soon as the Reformation is carried, for it is only at first that the mind 
takes offence when it is called on to reform its opinions. 

In the compilation of this work we have not forgotten the religious 
wants of the people, both rich and poor, neither have we forgotten the 
wants of those who are to come after us. The Reformation of Cranmer 
and Latimer has continued to be the Religion of the Land for three 
hundred years ; and it may be that the Reformed Religion will continue 



THE ENGLISH REFORMATION. 55 

the religion of future generations for a similar period, and keeping 
this in view we have endeavoured to make the Reformation as complete 
and comprehensive as it was in our power to make it. Bit and bit 
reforms are not possible in religious movements, as they are in matters 
of less importance ; for unless we can place Religion on a satisfactory 
footing once for all, it would be better not to touch it, for that would 
only unsettle everything without settling anything. 

Some will be apt to reply that if the Reformed Religion is true, it will 
last for ever, and why then speak of limiting its duration ? To this 
we reply that although we have made our system as good and true as it 
was in our power to make it, we do not say that it is perfect, on the 
contrary, we think that after the lapse of time, it will require retouching. 
Truth is a word of comparison. We have good, better, best ; we have 
likewise true, truer, truest. Finality belongs not to man, for if he is a 
progressive being, his knowledge of truth must always be susceptible 
of encrease. 

The majority of the Clergy are anxious to see the Church thoroughly 
reformed, of which Lord Ebury's movement for the reformation of the 
Prayer Book, and the Oxford movement for a revision of the Articles, 
is the evidence. Our movement embraces whatever we have found 
good in both movements; and while these conflicts are going on within 
the Church, we are extending the Reformation to the Laity, as well 
as to the Clergy. The Clergy see no fruits of all their labors ; for so 
long as hatred usurps the place of love, there are no fruits, and to 
conscientious men this is a sad trial ; accordingly, they desire a Re- 
formation of the Church. 

The Rev. Mr. Spurgeon tells us that a Reformation is impossible, and 
yet we had a Reformation in the sixteenth century ; and if a Reforma- 
tion was possible in one century, it is possible in another. That a man 
professing to be a Minister of the Gospel should delude his congrega- 
tion in this way is truly deplorable. The obvious meaning of this is — 
Our Religion is truth, and truth admits of no improvement — we are 
perfect, and need no reform. If the preacher had said we desire no 
reformation, we could have understood him ; but when we are told that 
a Reformation is impossible, what can we say ? Should these lines 
meet the eye of the reverend gentleman, we trust he will be able to 
give some explanation of so extraordinary a statement. 

We do not rely either on the press or the pulpit for success, for the 
powers that be are rarely or ever reformers, but we confidently rely 
on the Power of Truth, which like a hammer breaketh the rocks in 
pieces. By means of Tracts we shall bring the truth to bear on the 
public mind, and by Petitions, we shall act on the Legislature, and in 
due time we shall gather in a plentiful harvest. 

That the public have few real friends, is a fact we all know and 
acknowledge ; for all are too apt to seek their own interests rather than 
the interests of the public. We have more than enough of reformers 
of that which can do the public no good ; but we have few or 
no reformers of that which would benefit all classes, both high and 
low. Instead of being thanked for their work, true Reformers are 
usually covered with the reproaches of those who ignorantly imagine 
that their interests are to be injured by reform. We say ignorantly, 



56 PROSPECTUS. 

for it cannot be that any real reform can actually injure the interests 
of any one. On the eve of a great reformation it is right we should 
mention these things ; for the progress of the present movement de-' 
pends on the encouragement which the public give to those who 
interest themselves in its promotion. The Society itself can do little 
without the countenance and support of the public at large ; for, while 
the harvest is great, the labourers are, as yet, comparatively few. The 
liberal mind deviseth liberal things ; and if the public meet this appeal 
in the spirit in which it is made, we shall all live to see man raised to 
his true position, as the masterpiece of his Maker's work here below. 



PKOSPECTUS. 

The New Reformation Society. 

The object of this Association is the general enlightenment of all 
classes on the subject of Politics and Religion. Ignorance being the 
great cause of the evils existing in the world, the Reformation Society 
will not cease in its efforts to reduce ignorance and delusion. 

1. All Subscribers to be considered Members of this Society. 

Subscribers of One G-uinea to be Life Members, and of Five 
Guineas to be Governors. 

2. Members shall enjoy special privileges in the purchase of the 

Society's Publications, of which particulars shall be given. 

3. Provincial Societies will be entirely independent of the Metro- 

politan Society. 

4. The London Society will correspond with the Provincial Societies, 

and render them every assistance in its power. 
The two great practical objects which are to engage the atten- 
tion of the Society are the following — 

I. To carry the Church Reform Bill for the Reformation of 

the Thirty -nine Articles through Parliament. 

II. To establish Free Public Libraries in all the towns and cities 

of the kingdom, consisting of the best literature of the day. 

We know of no difficulty in completing our work but the want of 
funds, and we feel assured that we have only to make this known to 
call forth the liberal contributions of every friend of civil and religious 
liberty and progress. 

With a revenue of £5,000 a year for five years, we may almost promise 
to complete our work. Prevention is ever better "and less expensive 
than cure. For every thousand pounds spent on " prevention," millions 
will be saved on " cure," and as the New Reformation movement is 
entirely preventive, we trust the comparatively small sum we ask will 
be freely given for so good and so noble a cause. 

Subscriptions may be sent to Alexander Alison, Esq., Chairman 
of the Committee, 4, Cannon Place, Brighton ; to the Treasurer of the 
Society, G. Dean, Esq., 27, New Broad Street, City, London ; or paid 
to the credit of the Society, at the London and Westminster Bank. 

New Reformation Society's Office, 

25, Conduit Street, W. 

20th March, 1861. 



THE 



POLITICAL REVOLUTIONS 



I860 & 1861 



EUROPE AND AMERICA. 



It is the business of a Journal to be hopeful, to expect prosperity, 
and to teach progress." — The Times. 



ESSAY No. 3. 



LONDON: 
SOLD BY GEO. H. NICHOLS, EARL'S COURT. 

LEICESTER SQUARE. 
1861. 



PREFACE 



The grand object of the reformation movement is the reformation 
of Civilization. Now what is Civilization but the improvement of 
Nature ? — the one being built on the other. Nature means the absence 
of legislation ; and Civilization the effect of legislation. It follows 
therefore that we must look to legislation mainly for the reformation 
of Civilization. 

Political writers have of late years run into the error of assuming 
that the evils of Civilization have arisen from over-legislation. They 
say, let us alone and all will go right ; but that idea has been proved 
by experience to be a fallacy, for when things are left to take their 
own course they usually take a bad course. The fact is, the evils of 
society arise not from the excess of legislation, but from the want of 
legislation ; and this is amply proved by the passive nature of our own 
government, which permits evils to grow up faster than their legislative 
remedies are applied. 

What has caused the Revolutions of 1848, and those of 1860 and 
1861, which we are to treat of, but the want of legislation? — for if 
the necessary reforms had been previously carried out, these disastrous 
events could not have occurred. 

The more population increases, and the greater the area over which 
Civilization extends itself, the more necessary does legislation become ; 
we must therefore not content ourselves with such legislation as was 
sufficient for times in which population was less dense, but go boldly 
forward to meet the new wants of society in a manner commensurate 
with their increase. 

A reformation may come with or without a revolution. Where no 
reformation can be carried a revolution must come, but wherever a state 
has sufficient vigour to carry a reformation before it is too late, that 
prevents a revolution. And it is to those countries where there is no 
revolution, as well as to those where there is, that these pages are 
addressed. 

London, May 25th, 1861. 



CONTENTS 



ESSAY No. 1. 

General Preface 

Chap. I. — Address of the Society, and Draft Act of 

Parliament 

II. — The Protestant Churches . 
III. — The Catholic Churches 
IV. — The Revised Thirty-Nine Articles 



PAGE. 
1 



3 

6 

11 

15 



ESSAY No. 2. 

Chap. I. — Politics and the Press . 
II. — The Thirty-Nine Articles 
III. — Calvinism ... 

IV. — Revivalism 

V. — Free Libraries 
VI. — The French Reformation 
VII. — The English Reformation 
Prospectus of the Society 



27 
30 
35 
39 
43 
46 
52 
56 



ESSAY No. 3. 

Chap. I. — The American Revolution 

II. — Low Church and High Church 
III. — The Ottoman Empire 
IV. — The Catholic Reformation . 
V. — The New Reformation . 



61 
69 

75 
78 
82 



POLITICAL EE VOLUTIONS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE AMERICAN REFORMATION. 

The object of the present Essay is to give an account of the various 
political Revolutions going on in Europe and America, and the means 
which ought to be taken to bring these movements to a satisfactory 
conclusion. There is a peace which means the rule of the sword and 
despotism ; and there is a peace which means Liberty and Goodwill. 
To sit down and allow things to take their course, is certain to produce 
the peace of despotism ; but if reformers step in and support the cause 
of true reform, the issue will be the peace of Liberty ; and it is with 
the object of producing this result that we venture to come forward 
with our plans of reform, both in Church and State. 

It has often been said that a pure Democracy would never answer 
upon so large and complicated a scale as that of America, but the 
reasons why have never been very clearly stated. The unfortunate 
issue of the American Republic has fully justified these evil prognosti- 
cations, but it remains to be shown why it should be so. Our previous 
essays have demonstrated that without a national code of opinions to 
define the basis on which public opinion is to act, that full liberty cannot 
be attained, especially in a nation which has no National Church, and 
this has been proved beyond doubt in the present deplorable state of 
anarchy into which the American nation has fallen. 

Truth and Liberty are or ought to be the objects to be sought in any 
government, and we are prepared to show, and to prove, that without a 
Regal Government and a National Church these ends cannot be real- 
ized, and it is solely with the view of effecting these objects that we 
come forward as the advocates of Royalty, not only in America, but in 
all other countries. It is quite certain that if Royalty is the best form 
of government for England and France, it will be the best for America, 
and we repeat we are prepared to prove that such is beyond all com- 
parison the best. 

Captain Maury, of New York, in treating of the Science of Weather, 
tells us that we must treat of the atmosphere as one whole ; and in 
treating of the Science of Civilization, which it is our object to reform, 



2 THE AMERICAN REFORMATION. 

we must treat of the race of Man as one whole. Every nation and 
every individual has reference to every other nation and every other 
individual, and when in our present Essay we are found to be writing 
first of America, next of Italy, and then of Turkey, the reader must 
understand that we do so in order to treat of Man as a whole, and make 
all nations contribute to the general good of the World. Without 
further preface, we shall at once address ourselves to the great and 
difficult question of America and its Government. 

The United States, as such, exists no longer. The Union of thirty- 
two States, which has existed over eighty years, has abruptly come to 
an end, and the wonder is, not that so unholy an alliance should have 
terminated at last, but that it should have gone on so long. From the 
first it was rightly predicted that the Free States would eventually 
separate themselves from the Slave States, and although such an unequal 
union has gone on longer than Truth and Reason foresaw, yet the result 
has shown that Truth and Justice, in the long run, will and must 
prevail. 

Union is all very well, but we may pay too much even for a good 
thing, and that the Free States should have consented so long to be 
yoked together with the Slave States, only proves that the Americans 
in professing Liberty were not sincere. Had the American nation been 
true to their professions of Liberty, they would long ago have told the 
Slave States that unless they put away slavery they must leave the 
Union. Although this was the natural result, yet predicted events 
rarely happen in the way people expect, and the disruption we have 
just witnessed is a noteable example of the fact. The secession has 
not originated with the Free States, but with the Slave States, but 
although the movement has come from the wrong quarter, yet we hail it 
as one of the greatest events in the march of Civilization and Liberty 
of which history has any example. 

The first thing to be done is to raise the cry of no slavery, and 
to pass an Act of Congress declaring Slavery at an end. President 
Lincoln is about to send an army into the Slave States, and this 
army must carry the banner of " No Slavery." The opportunity of 
putting an end to slavery is now offered to every true-hearted American, 
and we trust the opportunity will not be allowed to pass unimproved. 
The slaves, which number no less than four millions of souls, have a 
right to be free, and if the Army of Freemen goes forth as a liberating 
army, the war will not only be speedily brought to an end, but the black 
population will be freed. Presuming that such will be the glorious 
termination of the civil war now going on, let us ask what ought to be 
the future government of America, for it is obvious that the whole sub- 
ject must now be reconsidered, and placed on a different basis to that 
from which it has just fallen. 

Republicism has been tried in America and has signally failed, 
so that form of Government must be abandoned. A constitutional 
Government, presided over by a King, is unquestionably the best form 
of government which has been discovered by man, and there is no 
reason why America should not adopt that form. The Republic, 



THE AMERICAN REFORMATION. 63 

instead of producing real liberty, has destroyed liberty. Let the 
Americans become Royalists, and they will enjoy a degree of liberty 
which all experience proves to be impossible with a Republic. But 
not only will a Regal Government be more free, but it will likewise be 
much less expensive. At present, America consists of thirty -two petty 
states, each with its President and Parliament, and a host of officials, 
who consume the earnings of the people, whereas with a Regal Govern- 
ment, there will be only one President, the King, and one set of officials. 
Simplicity is the soul of any government, and with one government 
instead of thirty-two, real unity will be accomplished, and the welfare 
and progress of the country guaranteed. We do not say that America 
should copy the Constitution of England, for that has many faults which 
produce a government much too passive to meet the wants of modern 
civilization, — no, let America adopt a constitution for themselves free 
from the faults of the existing Governments of Europe, and they will 
show themselves worthy of their high destiny, and teach us a lesson 
which we shall gladly follow. 

It will be found that truth and right always lie between extremes, 
and keeping this axiom in view, it will be the wisdom of the people 
of America not to make the future kingdoms too large. The United 
States would make at least three large kingdoms: — 1st. jNew York 
and the Free States ; 2nd. Carolina and the Gulf States ; and 3rd. 
California and the States beyond the Rocky Mountains. But the 
question will now be asked, in the event of these countries resolving to 
become independent kingdoms, who are to be their Sovereigns, and 
how are they to be chosen ? We say, let the Kings be elected by 
Universal Suffrage, as in Italy, and let the nominees be chosen from 
the Royal Families of Europe. We are confident that the Governments 
of Europe would give every encouragement to the carrying out of this 
scheme, and if the hopes of the New York States should rest on an 
English Prince for their Sovereign, it is not impossible that England 
would cede Canada to New York, and thus what she loses in the south 
she will gain in the north. 

We trust the American people will consider this important matter, 
not in the light of habit and prejudice, but as to what is best for their 
own interests, and for the interests of future generations. What is a 
Constitutional Government such as England, but a mixture of Republi- 
canism and Royalty — it has all the benefits of a Republic without its 
evils, and if such is really true, we cannot doubt that America will vote 
for a Revolution in favor of Royalty. 

We now come to the no less important question of a National Church, 
for without such, America cannot possess a Code of Articles, and with- 
out articles liberty of thought and discussion has nothing to protect it 
from intolerance. There are two kinds of Liberty — 1st. the liberty of 
nature, which is not liberty rightly so called, for it is only liberty to 
oppress our neighbours. 2nd. The liberty of civilization, which means 
submission to the rules of truth, justice, and toleration. At present, 
America, where there is no National Church and no Code of Articles, 
may be said to have the liberty of nature, but not that liberty which 
belongs to a high state of civilization. And it is to exchange the latter 



64 THE AMERICAN REFORMATION. 

for the former that we say America should at once call a general 
assembly of the Clergy and Laity with the object of constituting a 
National Church. 

The question now arises whether the proposed National Church 
should be Episcopal, governed by Bishops, or Presbyterian, governed 
by Clergymen. When we look to the New Testament we find that 
both forms of Church Government are equally scriptural, we are there- 
fore free to choose either. Now as a Presbytery in the Church is 
analogous to a republic in the State, and Episcopacy is analogous to 
Royalty, it follows that the American Church ought to be episcopal if 
the State Government is to be Regal ; and for these reasons, we say 
the New Church ought to be episcopal. Its constitution would pro- 
bably be to the following effect : — 

1st. — The Crown to be head of the Church, with right to call 
Councils, and take the initiative in all changes of the Church's con- 
stitution. 

2nd. — The Bishops and other Dignitaries of the Church to be chosen 
by the Crown. The Parochial Clergy and Lay Deacons by the People. 

3rd. — The temporalities of the Church to be vested in the Houses of 
Parliament, and the spiritual interests in the General Assembly of the 
Church. 

4th. — The General Assembly to be called at least once every three 
years by Royal Writ, and to be dissolved by the same. 

5th. — Two clergymen and twelve deacons to be appointed to each 
parish. The clergy to have charge of the spiritual interests, and the 
leacons of the temporal interests, including Education, and the care of 
the poor and sick. 

6th.— Books of Articles, Services, and Canons, to be prepared, and 
sanctioned by the Crown and Parliament. 

7th. — No acts of the Crown anent the affairs of the Church to have 
the effect of law, unless they are ratified by both Houses of Parliament. 

Supposing this Act to be passed, let us see how it would work. 
Clergymen of all denominations of Christians would be entitled to 
become Clergymen of the National Church on signing the Books of 
Articles, Services, and Canons, when they would be appointed to 
various parishes. The Clergy so appointed might either receive their 
stipends from the Government, or depend on voluntary contributions as 
at present, as might be thought best. 

Of course, those Clergymen who prefer to remain as they are will be 
allowed to do so. They will then be Dissenters, who will enjoy all 
the rights and privileges they now possess, and be recognized as such 
by Acts of the Legislature. Those Clergymen who decline entering 
the National Church would thus have no cause to regret its establish- 
ment, — for if they do not join it, that will be their own fault. 

Such then is the outline of a scheme of Church and State Reform, 
which will be found to be based on principles which are both liberal 
and conservative. 

America, like England, has not made a single reform in any of her 
numerous creeds — all are left to go from bad to worse, never from evil to 



THE AMEKICAN REFORMATION. 65 

good. No reformers have arisen throughout the length and breadth of 
the vast continent of America, to lead her sons to victory over her pre- 
judices and errors, which abound in her churches and sects. The 
natural consequences of this state of immobility are soon told. Selfish- 
ness, intolerance, and hypocrisy, are the ruling passions. True Re- 
ligion is practically lost, and over its ruins are built Revivalism, 
Calvinism, and Spiritualism. In England we plead guilty to the same 
sins, and lest our American readers may think us too severe, we shall 
proceed to prove all we have said from one of the best of their own 
writers — the talented author of "Representative Men" and the 
" Conduct of Life." 

Mr. Emerson says : — " We live in a transition period, when the old 
faiths which made nations have spent their force. I do not find the 
religion of men at this moment very creditable to them, but either 
childish and insignificant, or unmanly and effeminating. The fatal 
trait is the divorce between religion and morality. Here are know- 
nothing religions, or churches that proscribe intellect; scortatory reli- 
gions; slave-holding and slave-trading religions. The lover of the old 
religion complains that our contemporaries, scholars as well as mer- 
chants, succumb to a great despair — have corrupted into a timorous 
conservatism, and believe in nothing. In our large cities, the popula- 
tion is godless, materialized, — no bond, no fellow-feeling, no enthusiasm. 
These are not men, but hungers, thirsts, fevers, and appetites walking. 
How do people manage to live on — so aimless are they ? 

A silent revolution has loosed the tension of the old religious sects, 
and, in place of the gravity and permanence of those societies of opinion, 
they run into freak and extravagance. In creeds never was such levity; 
witness the heathenisms of Christianity, — the Revivals, — the Mormons, 
— the squalor of Mesmerism, — the deliration of Rappings. 

All the great ages have been ages of Belief. When great national 
movements began, when arts appeared, when heroes existed, when 
poems were made, the human soul was in earnest, and had fixed its 
thoughts on spiritual verities. 

The religion which is to guide and fulfil the present and coming ages, 
whatever else it be, must be intellectual. Let us have nothing now 
which is not its own evidence. There is surely enough for the heart 
and imagination in Religion itself. Let us not be pestered with asser- 
tions and half-truths, with emotions and nonsense. 

There will be a New Church founded — a babe in a manger again, the 
algebra and mathematics of ethical law, the church of men to come ; it 
will have heaven and earth for its beams and rafters ; science for its 
symbol and illustration ; and it will gather beauty, music, picture, poetry. 

Our author speaks of incorporating Science with Religion, but it 
will be remembered that the science which he intends is a very different 
thing from the science now in vogue, a sentiment which has our entire 
concurrence. He says : " Our Books approach very slowly the things 
we most wish to know. What a parade we make of our science, and 
how far off is it from its proper objects. 

The motive of science is the extension of man, on all sides, into 
Nature till his hands shall touch the stars, his eyes see through the 



66 THE AMERICAN REFORMATION. 

earth, his ears understand the language of beast and bird, and the sense 
of the wind ; and through his sympathy heaven and earth shall talk 
with him. But that is not our science. These geologies, chemistries, 
astronomies seem to make wise, but they leave us where they find us. 
The invention is of use to the inventor, of questionable help to any 
other. The formulas of science are like the papers in your pocket-book, 
of no value to any but the owner. Science in England, and America, 
is jealous of theory, hates the name of love and moral purpose. 
There's a revenge for this inhumanity, for what manner of man does 
it produce ? 

All our science lacks a human side. The tenant is more than the 
house. Bugs, and stamens, and spores, on which we lavish so many 
years, are not finalities. The human heart concerns us more than the 
poring into microscopes, and is larger than can be measured by the 
pompous figures of the astronomer. In confirmation of all this, we 
give a beautiful passage from the "Westminster Review" of October. 

"Religion, to regain the world, must not only be not contrary to 
Science, but it must be in entire and close harmony with science. Not 
with one science only, but with all. Not only must it have a place 
beside philosophy, morals, and politics ; but it must guide and elevate 
all these. Religion, to have strength, must have a Doctrine ; and a 
doctrine, to endure now, must embody the outgrowth of human thought. 
If it be not distinctly proved therefrom, it must at least flow from and 
sum up the whole. Its intellectual basis must be broad and unimpeach- 
able. The highest efforts of the brain must guide the best promptings 
of the heart." 

We agree with Mr. Emerson, that science as it now exists is robbed 
of its counterpart, for its facts are never traced up to their divine 
origin. Our scientific men busy themselves with collecting facts, never 
of making use of the facts already collected. Now as all new knowledge 
of truth comes from thinking, and not from collecting, science must take 
a new and more extended phase before it can touch the heart ; in short, 
it must become theological before it can be generally useful to man. 

Lest it is said that, by quoting Emerson and the Westminster, we 
are playing into the hands of the opponents of Scripture, we annex 
the opinions of an eminent professor of divinity of the Free Church, 
who is quite as liberal as any class of men we know. Dr. McCosh 
says : "We have often mourned over the attempts made to set the word 
against the works of God, and thereby excite, propagate, and perpetuate 
jealousies, fitted to separate parties that ought to live in closest union. 
In particular, we have always regretted that endeavours should have 
been made to depreciate Nature with the view of exalting Revelation ; 
it has always appeared to us to be nothing else than the degrading of 
God's works." — Method of the Divine Government. 

We have next a description of Human Nature, which will help the 
reader to discover himself. 

The fossil strata show us that Nature began with rudimental forms ; 
and rose to the more complex, as fast as the earth was fit for their 
dwelling-place. Very few of our race can be said to be yet finished men. 
We call these millions men j but they are not yet men. Half-engaged 



THE AMERICAN REFORMATION. 67 

in the soil, pawing to get free, man needs all the music that can be 
brought to disengage him. If Love with tears and joy ; want with his 
scourge ; war with his cannonade ; Christianity with its charity ; trade 
with its money ; art with its portfolios ; science with her telegraphs, 
can set his dull nerves throbbing, and by loud taps on the tough chry- 
salis, break its walls, and let the new creature emerge erect and free, 
the age of the brain and the heart will come in. Man is to convert all 
impediments into instruments, all enemies into power. And if one may 
read the future of the race hinted in the organic effort of Nature 
to mount and meliorate, we shall dare affirm that there is nothing he 
will not overcome and convert, until at last culture shall absorb the 
chaos and gehenna. He will convert the furies into muses, and the 
hells into benefit. 

We conclude with a few excellent hints on the conduct of life: — 

" The basis of good manners is Self-reliance. Necessity is the 
law of all who are not self-possessed. Those who are not self-possessed 
obtrude, and pain us, they appear to feel that they belong to a Pariah 
caste, they fear to offend, they bend and apologize. 

Manners require time, as nothing is more vulgar than haste. Friend- 
ship should be surrounded with ceremonies and respects, and not crushed 
into corners. Friendship requires more time than poor busy men can 
usually command. A little Integrity is better than any Career" 

Having indicated the causes of the present troubles in America, and 
the remedy for them, we shall conclude with some remarks on the war. 

The French Revolution was bad enough, but unless something ade- 
quate to the exigencies of the present crisis be adopted, the evils in 
store for America may even exceed those of France in 1 789. A nation, 
with a population of thirty millions, and a country the size of all 
Europe, in a state of anarchy and civil war, is a fearful thing to con- 
template, and when we remember the corruptions which have grown up 
with its defective Constitution, which will add fuel to the fire which is 
devouring the land, it becomes us to throw our prejudices to the moles 
and the bats, and sit down like men and see what can be done to stop 
the evil. Half measures will do no good, for nothing less than a Revo- 
lntion will be powerful enough to furnish a remedy for so great an evil. 

Our advice is this. Let the Congress meet and appoint a Dictator, 
and then dissolve. Let them appoint General Scott, or some other 
military man of judgement and experience, in whom they have confi- 
dence to the responsible office, and leave it to the Dictator to put 
down the rebellion and give a new Constitution to his country. There 
is no other resource left, if life and property are to be saved ; and in 
adopting the alternative of a Dictatorship in the present emergency, 
the American people will follow an example which was invariably 
followed by success both in ancient and modern times. 

These are not times to be trifled with, when the very existence of 
society and civilization is at stake. Only conceive the state of affairs 
if Washington and New York were in the hands of the rebels, when 
slavery and despotism would be introduced into every state of the 
Union, for that may be the issue if Congress continues to govern the 
country in times like these. A Republic may get on very well in or- 



68 THE AMERICAN REFORMATION. 

dinary times with no civil war to introduce anarchy and confusion into 
its councils ; but when war is at the door, a republic is practically 
inoperative, as has been so often proved in France. We say, let Con- 
gress be immediately dissolved, and let a Dictator take its place who 
will proceed to put down the rebellion in the south, and divide the 
Union into three Kingdoms, in the manner we have ventured to sug- 
gest, or in any other way that may be thought best for the interests of 
all parties. 

Let a Reformation Society be immediately established in New York, 
with ramifications throughout the length and breadth of the land. 
No time is to be lost ; for since the world began, never did such an 
opportunity for good present itself, — and we must be careful to take 
the tide at its flow if we wish to gain the prize. We recommend our 
American readers to consult Mr. Alison's work on Civilization, where 
full details on every subject connected with politics and religion are to 
be found; they may likewise peruse our Essays, Nos. 1 and 2, which 
contain a code of Articles suitable for the proposed National Church of 
America. 

Whatever happens, one thing is certain, that American Slavery will 
come to an end. Compromises of all kinds will be tried, but all will 
fall to the ground which are not based on emancipation. It would 
occupy too much space to explain how this should be so, but we have 
thought of every alternative, and have always come to the same 
result. If the Southern States wish to anticipate the compulsory 
emancioation of the slaves by a voluntary act, either with or without 
compensation, there is nothing to prevent their doing so. Let each of 
the Southern States forthwith liberate their slaves, and compensate the 
Slave owners by assignats, to be issued by the respective State Govern- 
ments. These assignats to bear interest, and be negociable in the 
market like other state bonds. If the Southern States promptly, and 
in good faith, act upon this suggestion, it will remove the great barrier 
to peace, and we sincerely trust they will adopt it. 

In addressing our friends in America in their present trials and 
afflictions, we hope our sympathies will be all the more prized when 
they are accompanied with suggestions which may open the way for 
a great deliverance. Authors are much too reserved in giving forth 
their plans for improving the world. From the want of moral courage 
they are apt to withhold their best thoughts, and thus the world is left 
to grope its way in the dark. It is our wish to break through this 
reserve, and in now laying our plans frankly before the public, we shall 
put humanity to the test as to its capacity for a higher state of civiliza- 
tion than it has yet realized. It is because we think the world capable 
of all we have desired, that we have come before it in the garb of 
reformers. And we know that we shall not be disappointed, — for it is 
not the want of practice, so much as the want of precept, that the 
world instead of advancing is going backwards. It is an old proverb, 
that "When things come to the worst they begin to mend;" and it is 
to give consistency to the tendency to re-action and reformation which 
isnow so visible throughout Europe and America, that we take our 
stand in the cause of a General Reformation. 



LOW CHURCH AND HIGH CHURCH. 69 



CHAPTER II. 

LOW CHURCH AND HIGH CHURCH. 

" By their fruits ye shall know them." 

If we may venture to give a definition of the terms " Low Church " 
and " High Church " we should say that the one term describes the 
party who take a low opinion of man's capacity ; and the other, those 
who take a higher opinion of that capacity. Without waiting to 
discuss definitions, which we have a particular dislike to do, we shall 
at once describe the two parties, beginning with the Low Church. 
We propose to give a series of extracts from the preaching of Mr. 
Spurgeon, who is a leader of the Calvinists, and may be taken as a 
good representative of the Low Church party. The Discourse we are 
now to revise will be found in No. 212 of the New Park Street Pulpit, 
where the preacher enters into all the fundamental doctrines. 

Mr. Spurgeon begins with giving us his opinions of God. He next 
descends to man, whom he places almost on a level with the lower 
animals. He then proves that man is incapable of reformation ; and 
lastly, that all reformation must come in a miraculous manner, and not 
in a natural way, as predicted by Bishop Butler in his Analogy of 
Nature and Revelation. Mr. Spurgeon says: — 

"Many men are forgotten, despised, and trampled on by their fellows; 
but never was man so despised as the everlasting God. Many a man 
has been slandered and abused, but never was man abused as God." 

The preacher here unwittingly proclaims a truth, viz. — that we heap 
our sins upon God until He is represented to be no better than man. 
Calvinism makes God judge men irrespective of their works; and if 
our Maker really judges man irrespective of his being good or bad, as 
the Calvinists say, He would be an evil God, or rather not a God at all 
— for a God that is capable of evil is not a God, but a devil. So much 
for the character of God, — let us now turn to man : 

" The very beasts are better than man — for man has all the worst 
attributes of the beasts and none of their best. He has the fierceness of 
the lion without its nobility; he has the stubbornness of an ass without 
its patience; he has all the devouring gluttony of the wolf without the 
wisdom which bids it avoid the trap. He is a carrion vulture, but is 
never satisfied; he is a very serpent with the poison of asps beneath 
his tongue, but he spits his venom afar off as well as nigh. If you 
think of human nature as it acts towards God, you will say indeed it is 
too bad to be mended." 



70 LOW CHURCH AND HIGH CHURCH. 

Here the preacher, in reviling man reviles his maker, — for if there is 
no good in man, the masterpiece of God's works, it is certain there can 
be no good in God — for every tree may be judged by its fruits. Not 
only is man bad, but, what is a great deal worse, he cannot better 
himself : — 

" Human nature is too far gone to be mended. It is not a house that 
is a little out of repair. No, it is rotten throughout — the very founda- 
tions have been sapped; there is no soundness in it, but all rottenness. 
God doth not attempt to mend ; but he determines that the old house 
shall be entirely swept away, and that he will build a new one. 

It is quite certain that human nature cannot be made better, for 
many have tried it, but have always failed. A man trying to improve 
human nature, is like trying to change the position of a weathercock, 
by turning it round to the east when the wind is blowing west ; he has 
but to take his hand off and it will be back again to its place. I have 
seen a man trying to restrain nature — he is an angry, bad-tempered 
man, and he is trying to cure himself a bit, yet it burns within his bones 
till they grow white with the heat of malice, and there remains within 
his heart a residuum of the ashes of revenge. You may try and reform, 
dear friends, but you will find you cannot do it, and, remember, even if 
you could, still it would not be the work which God requires, for He 
will not have reformation." 

The reason why Mr. Spurgeon does not succeed in changing the 
weathercock is that he turns it in a false direction. Let him turn it 
in the true direction, and he will find that although the winds and the 
waves beat upon it, it will stand secure ; for it will then be founded on 
a rock, even the rock of truth. 

Mr. Spurgeon has tried the experiment of reformation on himself, 
but instead of getting better, he only gets worse and worse. The reason 
of this is obvious. He is ignorant, not only of the constitution of 
Human Nature, but of the whole scheme of the Gospel which has been 
provided for its reformation and redemption. It is quite certain, that 
neither Mr. Spurgeon nor any one else can improve, so long as they deny 
man's capacity for improvement. Only think of a man being able to 
ascend to the top of Mount Blanc, who denied the possibility of such 
a feat. 

Mr. Spurgeon makes a difference between Reformation and Renovation, 
but that is a distinction without a difference. Improved opinions and 
beliefs produce new and better feelings as a natural consequence, and 
that is renovation as well as reformation. The testimony of fact and 
experience are sufficient to establish all we now affirm, so we may easily 
set aside the sophistries of the Calvinists on that point. 

But while Mr. Spurgeon denies to man the power of self-improvement, 
he admits that God has that power, by means of what he calls Irresistible 
Sovereign Grace, but which in plain language is " Miraculous Grace" 
Here are his words : — 

To sanctify a man is the work of the whole life, but to give a new 
heart is the work of an instant. In one solitary second, swifter than 
the lightning flash, God can put a new heart into a man, and make him 
a new creature. You may be sitting where you are to-day, an enemy to 



LOW CHURCH AND HIGH CHURCH. 71 

God, with a wicked heart within ; but, if the Lord wills it, the living 
spark shall drop into your soul, and in that moment you will begin to 
tremble, to feel, to confess your sin, and fly to Christ. Eegeneration is 
the intantaneous work of God's sovereign, effectual, and irresistible 
grace." 

In our former Essay, we said that Calvinism made man nothing, and 
here that statement is fully verified. The possibility of self-improvement 
and self-reformation is taken away, and nothing is left to man but to 
remain passive, and wait for miracles to be performed in his behalf. 
This is no trifling matter, and we wish to speak plainly, for until 
the people get rid of reliance on modern miracles, they will never 
improve. 

To prove that the Calvinist party, which forms the mass of the 
nation, believe in miracles, we need only quote from the Record news- 
paper, which is the recognised organ of the party : — 

" The great doctrine of the New Reformation is, * That while the 
gospel is Miraculous in its origin, the effect of the gospel on the soul 
is Natural.' To the first part of this doctrine the Oxford Essayists 
barely, if at all, assent, and from the second part, we doubt not, 
1 Drs. Candlish, Cunningham, and Guthrie,' will most cordially dissent. 
The Gospel acts in a Natural manner according to the constitution of 
the human mind, but its acting at all is Supernatural — its effect is as 
miraculous as its origin." 

We may explain that Mr. Alison, in his work on Civilization, men- 
tions that he learned the new doctrine of Conversion from Dr. Candlish, 
of Edinburgh, a statement which has been before the world for six 
months without any refutation, and that being so, we are entitled to 
assume that the statement is correct. We can only find room for one 
more extract from Mr. Spurgeon : — 

" We all deserve to be damned. If God damneth us, not a single 
word will be heard against His doing it. We lie entirely in His hands, 
like a moth that lies under the finger. What reflections ought to cross 
our minds, if we believe that ? " 

We are asked if we can believe that ; and we can only reply that we 
do not believe one word of it. We believe that our God is a good and 
just God, and that He will choose those whom He will save solely in 
consequence of their works, with special reference to their abilities and 
opportunities. Let us remind Mr. Spurgeon, and all who think with 
him, that no other belief is consistent with belief in a perfect God, and 
as we believe in a good God, we reject Mr. Spurgeon's teaching in every 
particular. Let the preacher apply the test of God's perfections to one 
and all of his doctrines, and he will find he has not one doctrine left, for 
from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there is no soundness 
in him. 

Let us imagine a stranger from a distant country coming to London-— 
a Christian, free from the malady of Calvinism. What would such a 
person say after he had been to the Great Tabernacle, and heard the 
great preacher of the day ? He would say, I have heard of the follies 
of Calvinism and Puritanism, but now that I hear them from their own 
lips, I can say that the half had not been told me. Man is laid flat on 



72 LOW CHURCH AND HIGH CHURCH. 

his face, and those who try to lift him up, are denounced, instead of 
being praised for their help. 

We have now given a brief, and we hope a faithful account of the Reli- 
gion of nine-tenths of the English people ; and with a Religion which 
teaches men to remain passive, instead of using the powers with which 
they are endowed, we need not wonder that the world is so bad, nor 
need we wonder that a new Reformation to improve man is univer- 
sally called for. We read that a tree may be known by its fruits, 
and proving our Religion by that test, it is bad indeed. We have letters 
from all parties in the Church, and all agree in one thing, that man 
is universally bad, and that although they have tried everything to 
improve him, he, instead of getting better, only gets worse ; and we 
hope these Essays may help our correspondents to discover the reason 
why man is bad, and why they cannot make him better. 

It has often been said that it is practice that is at fault, but never 
was there a greater mistake. The quotations we have given from 
Mr. Spurgeon are the proof that precept is at fault, and that accounts 
for the want of better practice in the world. We say, therefore, let us 
improve precept and practice will improve, as the one is the cause of 
the other. 

We now pass from the Low Church to the High Church, where we 
shall discover an entire change of Religion from that we have been 
considering. 

Great difficulties have been felt in describing the High Church, for 
although in one sense that party is more liberal and truthful than their 
opponents of the Low Church, yet, in another sense, they are less 
liberal. It is of great importance that the principles of the High 
Church party should be known, and fully understood, and we shall do 
our best to unravel them. 

All primitive Churches, such as the Jewish and Catholic Churches, 
make religion consist of Sacraments and Priestly authority, and not 
of theology. The latter religion belongs exclusively to churches which 
a superior stage of civilization can alone render practicable. Now, as 
the High Church seeks her religion from outward things more than 
from the spirit of truth, she goes back in the scale of civilization. We 
freely grant that the High Church is an example of a good doctrine in 
theology; but we say at the same time, that her heart is not in her 
theology, but in her priestly doctrines and observances. Now, as the 
High Church cannot serve two masters, we must judge her mainly by 
her outward observances, for there her heart is. 

Now, what are these priestly doctrines and outward observances 
which we so much condemn ? First. The Priestly Office. Second. 
Baptismal Regeneration. Third. Transubstantiation. The whole of 
the offending doctrines of High Churchism may be comprehended 
under these heads, and we shall proceed to treat each separately. 

The Priestly Office. — The High Church holds that a priest is spe- 
cially set aside by the Holy Ghost for his office, and consequently that 
ke exercises an authority from God to perform acts which involve 
miracles. The act of the bishop in ordaining a priest acts miraculously 



LOW CHURCH AND HIGH CHURCH. 73 

on the priest so ordained ; and the ordained priest in his turn acts 
miraculously on the laity, for whom he ministers. In this way the 
bishops and priests become mediators between God and man. They are 
a race distinct from the laity — called and chosen specially for the priest's 
office. It will be perceived that this is nothing less than a restoration 
of the Mosaic religion, and of the priestly office after the order of Aaron. 
It is a restoration of the Catholic Church, which may be said to be 
almost a fac-simile of the Jewish Church. 

The High Church Clergy may be considered " High " because they 
arrogate to themselves a high office ; but as that claim necessarily de- 
presses the laity in the same ratio as it exalts the priesthood, they can- 
not justly be called " High," — for their doctrines involve a low opinion 
of the capacity and position of man. On a careful examination of the 
Articles of the Church, we find no authority for any such pretensions ; 
and so far as the High Church is concerned, no alteration of the Thirty- 
nine Articles is called for. 

Clergymen are called " Priests " in the Prayer Book, but never in 
discourse, either from the pulpit or in conversation — showing that the 
idea of a Priesthood existing in our Church is purely visionary. 
Clergymen of the Church of England are not specially called and 
annointed for the holy office by divine authority, as they were in the 
Jewish Churches, — for now that the reign of a Theocracy has ceased, 
all the machinery for a primitive Church has likewise passed away. 
A Priest of the Christian Church means a minister or servant of the 
Gospel. If this is not so, we have yet to pass from the bondage of the 
law of Moses to the liberty of the law of Christ. But we shall be 
asked, what becomes of the " Ordination Service," if no miraculous 
virtue is connected with it ? We answer, that the Ordination Service 
is a solemnity to mark the vows which the Clergy take to devote them- 
selves to the office of the ministry, in the same way as the " Confirma- 
tion Service " marks the vows undertaken by the Laity. 

Baptism. — To imagine that a child is regenerated because a priest 
sprinkles water on it in the name of Christ, is truly a primitive idea. 
It is a belief in modern miracles as obvious as the miracles of the 
Blood of St. Januarius, or of weeping pictures of the Virgin Mary, 
We know that many sensible men give ear to this theory of Conversion, 
and for that reason we must speak with discretion, if not with 
reserve. 

If we believe that man is regenerated by water, we cannot consis- 
tently believe that he is regenerated by right belief accompanied by 
right action. It is vain for the High Church to preach " Work out 
your own Salvation" if they at the same time teach that salvation has 
already been worked out by Baptism. We are surprised that those 
Clergymen who make so much of the text just quoted do not see this. 
We cannot have two religions, or serve two masters. Either Baptismal 
Regeneration or Actual Regeneration by Works is true, — and as it is 
certain that both cannot be true, we must reject the one or the other. 
The High Church may justly charge their oponents of the Low Church 
with inconsistency in holding both Free Will and Predestination ; 
but they themselves are no less inconsistent in holding "Baptismal Rege- 

B 



74 LOW CHURCH AND HIGH CHURCH. 

neration" and "Actual Regeneration," — for these two are as opposite to 
each other as the doctrines of the Calvinists are. 

Transubstantiation. — We have charged the Low Church with error 
in their belief in blood as an atonement for actual sin; and that error 
must likewise be charged to the High Church. In believing in the 
"Real Presence" of Christ in the Sacrament, they actually, as well as 
theoretically, crucify the Lord afresh in their daily and periodical 
atonements of the Sacrament. 

The act of offering Sacrifices consists in slaying an ox, sheep, or goat, 
and burning it upon an altar. The ideal part of sacrifices, in which all 
their significance consists, is that the sacrifice so made takes away the 
sin for which it is offered. Take away the idea from the act, and there 
is no sacrifice at all ; proving that the idea is the reality, and the burning 
of the victim only the shadow or sign of the thing signified. The act 
without the idea is nothing, but the idea without the act is everything. 
It is the same with Idolatry. The idols are nothing apart from the idea 
with which they involve ; take away the idolatrous idea from an image, 
and the image is nothing. These considerations prove that there may 
be both sacrifices and idolatry, without either actual burnt-offerings or 
actual images. In other words, it does not follow that a nation or 
Church gives up Idolatry and Sacrifice when it demolishes its images 
and altars. We offer the following propositions, to prove that a Pro- 
pitiatory Sacrifice cannot be the Religion of the New Testament, as it 
was of the Old Testament. 

1st. — By obeying the precepts of the Gospel, we atone for our sins; 
and there is no other atonement spoken of by our Lord. 

2nd. — If the blood of bulls and goats cannot atone for sin, neither 
can the blood of a Man — the Man Christ Jesus — atone for sin. Now, 
as Christ's Divine Nature did not, and could not die, it was only the 
blood of a man which was shed on the cross. 

3rd. — Christ is the author of the New Testament atonement, for He 
is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

The Jewish Church had — 1st. an Altar; 2nd. a Victim; and 3rd. a 
Priesthood, to minister at the altar, and the Catholic has the same ; 
and it is now proposed to introduce the same Catholic doctrine of tran- 
substantiation into the Church of England ! Will there not be an end 
of the Gospel when such a gross belief obtains entrance into the 
Church ? The faith of the Calvinists, who make so much of a blood- 
bought atonement, is bad enough, but an actual atonement, must be 
much worse. We might enter more fully into this matter, but we trust 
enough has been said to show how false and dangerous all such Romish 
Doctrines are. 

We observe from an article in the Christian Remembrancer, the 
recognised organ of the High Church, that Oxford, which gave birth to 
that party, now knows it no more ; and now that the fountain is fairly 
dried up, we may reasonably hope that the branches will wither and die 
away. If Dr. Pusey, instead of introducing one fallacy to cast out 
another, which appears to have been his object, had taken Truth, and 
that alone for his weapon, Calvinism would long ago have been dead. 
But that he did not do, and instead of seeing his opponents cast out, 



THE OTTO?iAN EMPIRE. 75 

he himself is the first to fall. We trust this lesson will not be lost on 
the present generation, and that in all future movements of the Church 
Truth will be the ruling passion. 

Having treated of the High and Low Church, it will now be expected 
that we should speak of the " Essays and Reviews," which may be 
considered an attempt to introduce a third party into the Church ; but 
on this subject we must be very brief, for our space is limited. In our 
first Essay, we explained that the "Essays and Reviews" enter on a 
region of debate which is eminently calculated to produce discord and 
not peace, of which the flood of answers they have already produced is 
the evidence. So ill-judged a movement we could not have expected 
from authors who stand so high in the world of letters. The Essays 
and Reviews are founded on the works of Baron Bunsen, a writer 
whom we never could understand, for he does not appear to have any 
practical object in view beyond mere scholarship. The Essays and 
Reviews leave off where we begin. They treat of History while we 
treat of Principles, and as it is the latter and not the former which 
belong to Religion, the Essayists have mistaken their province, if they 
have any ambition to become reformers. 

The Soul, like the dove let loose from the ark, first tries the Low 
Church, but finds no place on which to rest the sole of its foot. It then 
tries the High Church, but here too it is disappointed. As a last 
resource, it either sits down in despair, or tries the Church of Rome, 
which may be called the slough of despond. 

We may well be asked how it happens that all parties should have 
combined to keep up a system so replete with faults, and we shall 
endeavour to explain the mystery. Error within the Church excites 
opposition from without, but as that has unfortunately always been of a 
negative kind, the only resource the Clergy had was to resist all pro- 
posals of amendment, as a Church cannot proceed to reform itself until 
a definite and complete scheme of reform has first been placed before 
it. There has been a grave fault on the part of the Laity, and it goes 
far to absolve the Clergy from blame in the matter. Now, however, 
that a complete system of reform is before the world, the position of 
the Clergy is entirely changed, and if they refuse the proposal of the 
New Reformation Society without giving a sufficient reason for so 
doing, they will take a course of which no conscientious man could 
approve. Delusion has had its day, let reality now take its place, and 
all will be well. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE. 



The recent massacres in Syria and Damascus, the ancient capital of 
the Saracens, have appalled all Europe, and call for interference. Since 
the Massacre of St. Bartholomew by the Catholics, nothing half so 
revolting as these massacres by the Mahometans has befallen the world. 
The time is approaching when the eastern empire will return to the 

b 2 



76 THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE. 

cross, after having been under the dominion of the crescent for upwards 
of twelve centuries. In the eleventh century, the empire of the Turks 
was saved from annihilation by the help of some of the Christian powers; 
and in the nineteenth century the same unseemly alliance saved the 
Ottoman power; but it is now to be hoped that all Europe will unite to 
regenerate the Turkish empire. All are now convinced that the sick 
man is utterly beyond recovery; and looking to the safety and welfare 
of the population, the sooner the Turkish empire can be restored to the 
dominion of the cross the better. 

In the middle ages, Europe was divided into petty states ; and in 
putting an end to that unsatisfactory state of things, modern civilization 
has run into the opposite extreme of making the empires of the world 
too large. We have often had occasion to shew that truth and right lie 
between extremes; and if we could manage to increase the number of 
independent States, it would certainly be an improvement on the present 
system. Why should we have only six great powers? would it not be 
better if we had twenty moderate powers? The interests of peace 
and liberty would, we think, be consulted if several new kingdoms of 
sufficient extent were established in the east; and if the Turkish empire 
were divided into at least three new kingdoms, that would probably meet 
the interests and wishes of all parties. 

The permanent peace of Europe cannot be achieved until something 
be done to give a better Government to Turkey than it now possesses. 
It will, therefore, excite no surprise that we should have turned our 
attention to the subject. We are glad to say that at last the Wallachians 
and Bulgarians are beginning to move in the matter. They have heard 
of the regeneration of Italy, and they naturally wish to imitate so noble 
an example. 

If the people will take the matter into their own hands, it will be 
much better for diplomacy to retire from the field for the present, and 
allow the people to work out their own regeneration. The moment the 
great powers attempt any new schemes for Turkey, each power in 
its turn lays claim to some special privilege for itself, and thus all hope 
of producing any practicable result for the benefit of Turkey is taken 
away; and this is our reason for deprecating any new attempt on the 
part of the great powers — at least until after the wishes of the people 
have been definitely ascertained. 

It is only throwing our capital into the sea to attempt to prop up so 
rotten a system as that of the Sultan's Government by new loans and 
so forth. The sooner the inevitable issue is allowed to come the better 
it will be for Europe", and the people themselves, for no power exists 
that is capable of stopping the natural end of the Turkish Government; 
and it will be our wisdom not any longer to fight against it. 

The proposal is to erect European Turkey into a separate kingdom, 
distinct from the Asiatic portion of the Ottoman Empire, under the 
sovereignty of the Sultan, the Hospodar of the Danubian Provinces, or 
whoever the people may elect. When this noble scheme is carried out, 
it will be a regeneration equal to that which has been effected in Italy 
with such signal success. Let another Cavour and Garibaldi arise on 
the banks of the Danube, and the thing will be done. 



THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE. 77 

The proposed new state extends from the Danube to Greece Proper, 
and from the Adriatic to the Black Sea. It will have Constantinople 
for its capital, and become a country quite equal in importance to Italy, 
both as regards extent, population, and national resources. The popu- 
lation exceeds eighteen millions — of which fourteen millions are said 
to be Christians, about two millions Mahometans, and the rest Jews. 

It is manifest that so long as this country is connected with Asia, 
where Mahometanism is the ruling Religion, it will be impossible for it 
to have a National Christian Church. Without a National Church to 
allay religious animosities, and give coherence to its numerous races, it 
would be impossible to introduce a representative Government with any 
reasonable prospect of success; and it is for that reason, as well as for 
many others that might be named, that a complete separation must take 
place between the European and Asiatic Provinces of Turkey. 

Asiatic Turkey consists of Asia Minor and Syria, as far east as 
Persia. This vast range of country is composed of a great variety of 
races and religions, some civilized and others uncivilized, and living 
independent of all government. This country must of course be dealt 
with in an entirely different way from that of European Turkey. An 
absolute government is indispensable, and as regards a National Church 
that is quite out of the question. The population is nearly equally 
divided between Christians, Mahomedans, and Jews, and in these cir- 
cumstances the only way will be to have no National Church, but to 
tolerate all religions alike. 

The recent disturbances in Syria and Damascus have shown that the 
Turkish Government is incapable of governing the country, and we 
think France and England are bound to give the country a King and a 
settled Government, as they did with Belgium and Greece. 

It is proposed to withdraw the French troops from Syria, but to do 
that would undo all the good that has been done by that intervention ; 
and instead of withdrawing troops, a similar number of English troops 
should be sent out to assist the French troops. A garrison must be 
maintained in all the large towns, such as Smyrna, Beyrout, Jerusalem, 
and Damascus, if we expect order and progress to nourish, for it is 
well known that nothing but the show of a military force in the chief 
towns has any effect with the Orientals in commanding that respect 
for the laws which is essential to prosperity. 

Too long has Europe suffered this important country to die as it 
were of old age ; but now that Europe in the West, and India and 
China in the East, are regenerating, the present disgraceful state of 
things cannot be allowed to remain. To Syria we owe our Religion ; 
and if we are bound in gratitude to assist any country to regenerate 
itself, surely Syria is that country ; and in making this appeal in 
behalf of the Armenians and Jews, we trust we shall not plead in vain. 
Let us shew the Jews that we are Christians in deed as well as in 
word, and that will be the best argument we can offer to induce them 
to embrace our religion. 

The first thing to be done, is to send out troops to act along with the 
French, and when security of life and property is guaranteed, we may 



78 THE CATHOLIC REFORMATION". 

expect that the people will be as anxious that the French and English 
Governments should take steps to give them a King and a settled 
Government as we can be, when the troops may be withdrawn. Should 
the Cabinets of London and Paris be so heartless as to denude Syria of 
their troops, and thus leave her to shift for herself as she best can, on 
them will rest the responsibility of the outbreaks which may be expected 
to follow. We entreat our rulers to pause before they take such a step, 
for if they do, the latter end of the Syrian affair will be worse than the 
beginning. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE CATHOLIC REFORMATION. 



Christianity was originally propagated from the City of Rome, and 
consequently the Bishops of Rome claimed authority over the Provincial 
Churches in all the nations of Europe. This claim of one Bishop and 
one Church to rule over all other Bishops and Churches has been ob- 
jected to in all ages, of which St. Gregory's testimony, quoted in a 
former Essay, is sufficient evidence ; but unfortunately, Rome, about 
the year 1200, succeeded in fairly establishing all its usurpations. 
What would we think of the Church of England if its Archbishop 
was to claim the right to govern all the Bishops of the numerous 
Churches planted by England in her colonies ? This is precisely 
similar to the usurped authority of the Bishop of Rome, and until the 
Catholic Laity assert their rights, and demand of their Clergy the 
abandonment of all such pretentions, they cannot enjoy religious liberty 
either in Italy or in any other country. 

Like the slaveholders of America, who quote scripture in favor of 
their traffic in human flesh, the Catholics can do the same in support of 
a claim which rests on no evidence whatever. What this usurpation has 
cost the nations of Europe for the last six centuries we shall not stop 
to enquire, for it is well known that the major part of all the wars and 
persecutions of Europe have arisen from this cause. It is high time 
that the papal dominion over Europe should cease, that the nations may 
enjoy Religious liberty as well as Civil Liberty, and that time has 
now come. 

It was in the revolutionary year of 1848 that signs of reformation 
first made their appearance. The Churches of Rome were deserted, 
and when we remember how they used to be thronged with devotees, it 
was not difficult to see that the days of the Papacy were numbered. 
In France the movement did not take a tangible shape until last year, 
when the celebrated pamphlets of M. About and M. Cayla, made their 
appearance. The one writer attacked the Temporal power of the Pope, 
and the other the Spiritual power, and we may imagine the sensation 
produced by these publications. 

The Catholics received the proposal for a National Church in France 



THE CATHOLIC REFORMATION. 79 

with the mingled feelings of regret and satisfaction. They naturally 
deplored the sacrifices which they were called on to make, but they saw 
at the same time that Civilization had outgrown the religion of the 
middle ages, and that sooner or later, the Church must be reformed. 
It was therefore a relief to the mind to know what was coming. The 
Protestants evidently did not quite relish the idea of the Catholic 
Church being reformed. They exclaimed — can dry bones live ? One 
would naturally have expected that the news that the Papacy was about 
to fall would have overpowered the Protestants with joy, but that has 
not been so. We regret to say that the Pope and Cardinals received 
this proposal in a very unchristian spirit, of which the following Bull, 
issued on the occasion, shows : — 

" A lively grief had seized us on account of a most infamous Pam- 
phlet lately published in Paris. What is intolerable is the audacity and 
impiety of this writer, who, not having feared to attack the Civil and 
Ecclesiastical principality of the Roman Church, has endeavoured to 
contrive a particular species of Church, to be founded in the French 
Empire, and organized so that it should be removed from the authority 
of the Sovereign Pontiff and completely separated from it. What in- 
justice does the author of the afore-mentioned pamphlet not do to the 
most illustrious French nation, in believing that that nation, the most 
attached to Catholic unity, could allow itself to be drawn into schis- 
matical error." — Rome, December, 1860. 

Instead of language so unworthy of ministers of the gospel of 
Love and Self-denial, the papal manifesto ought to have run in terms 
like these. " We grant that there is an urgent call for a reformation of 
the Church, and if it is the will of Europe that a General Council of the 
Church should be called, with a view to its reconstruction, I shall give 
the movement every encouragement." If the Pope had taken that course 
he would have followed up in acts, what he professed in 1848 in words, 
but now his house is left to him desolate, for he was offered a way of 
escape and he has refused it. 

Napoleon has made concessions to the spirit of the age in granting 
the liberty of the Press. The Emperor of Russia has done the same 
in granting liberty to the Serfs. The Emperor of Austria has made 
concessions in calling a Parliament ; but the Pope, by refusing ail con- 
cessions, has only himself to blame for his fall. 

The Catholic Church has not been reformed for three centuries, for 
since the Council of Trent, she has undergone no legislative change. 
It is therefore necessary that the Church should now be completely 
reformed, in order to meet the vast strides made in Civilization and 
Religion since the sixteenth century. But how is the Catholic Church 
to reform herself? We say, let Italy take the initiative in the great 
work of reformation. Let the new King of Italy call the Clergy and 
Laity to a great Council, that a new Church may be formed. This im- 
portant matter settled, the other nations of Europe will follow the 
example, when the entire Church will be reformed, and placed upon a 
satisfactory basis all over the world. We shall now proceed to give the 
outline of a Church Constitution suitable for Italy, that our readers may 
understand the nature of the reforms proposed. 



80 THE CATHOLIC EEFORMATION. 

1. The King, as head of the State and representative of the Nation^ 
to be recognized as the head of the Church. 

2. The Temporalities of the Church to be vested in the Houses of 
Parliament ; and the Spiritualities, in a General Council, to be consti- 
tuted on a representative basis. 

3. The Bishops and other Dignitaries of the Church to be elected 
by the Crown. The Parochial Clergy and Lay Deacons to be elected 
by the People. 

4. Two Clergymen and twelve Lay Deacons to be appointed to 
each parish. The Clergy to attend to the spiritual interests of the 
parish, and the Deacons to the temporal interests, including Education 
and the care of the sick and the poor. Presuming the nation to be 
unanimous in accepting these propositions, as the basis of the New 
Church, let us see how the proposal may be carried out. 

The King, as head of the Church, will convoke a General Council of 
the Bishops, Clergy, and leading Statesmen, that he may consult with 
them as to the proposed Reformation, and to lay before them the draft 
of the New Constitution for their consideration and approval. So soon 
as the matter has been fully discussed, the Assembly may be dissolved, 
when the King would publish the Constitution, subject only to the 
ratification of Parliament. 

The following are the heads of the proposed Constitution : — 

1. The General Council of the Church, which will meet at Rome, 
and be presided over by the Bishop of Rome, to consist of about two 
hundred members, to be composed of Clergy and Laity in equal pro- 
portions. 

2. The Council to be called by Royal writ at least once every three 
years, and may be dissolved at any time by the Crown. 

3. The duties of this body will be, to settle any disputes that may 
arise between the Bishops, Clergy, and Deacons, and generally to 
manage the affairs of the Church. 

4. A Book of Articles, based on Scripture, defining the Creed of 
the Church, to be prepared and duly ratified by this Act. 

5. A Book of Common Prayer, in the spirit of the Articles, to be 
prepared for the use of Churches, and duly ratified. 

6. A Book of Canons to be prepared, as to the ordination of Bishops 
and Clergy, and defining the power of appeal to the General Council. 

The Italian Parliament will soon meet in the city of Rome, where 
the General Council of the Church will assemble, and will probably be 
presided over by Pius IX, as Bishop of Rome, and metropolitan of all 
Italy. This act would, of course, limit the power of the Pope to Italy, 
and deprive that potentate of his double crown, as King of Italy, and 
Sovereign Pontiff of half of Europe ; but in exchange for these obsolete 
crowns, he will receive the reward of a good conscience, in resigning 
pretensions which are incompatible with liberty and progress. 

In the event of the Pope refusing to accept the Chair of the New 
Church, as he did when Napoleon too generously offered him the Pre- 
sidency of a Confederated Italy, by the treaty of Yillafranca, there 
will be no alternative but to appoint an Archbishop of Rome, who 
will take his place as Metropolitan Archbishop of Italy. Such is the. 



THE CATHOLIC REFORMATION. 81 

-only solution of the Papal question ; and when we remember the diffi- 
culties which have always surrounded the question, we ought to be 
thankful that at last we begin to see our way to a final settlement. 

The Italian people will only deceive themselves if they imagine that 
they will be free until they have Religious Liberty as well as Civil 
Liberty, and as the Reformation movement has supplied the materials 
for the compilation of the Books of Articles, Services, and Canons, there 
is no reason why the "National Church of Italy''' should not be at 
once constituted. 

Count Cavour and the Italian Parliament must not imagine that their 
mission is accomplished when the Civil Institutions of the country are 
completed, for unless they can go forward to a Religious Reformation 
they will not have conferred the boon of personal liberty on their people. 
Liberty does not consist solely in protection from civil abuses, but in 
protection from social intolerance and religious disability as well, and 
until the Church is reformed, the latter, which constitutes the major 
part of the liberty of a nation will not be achieved. Presuming that 
this is granted, the question arises — is the present time, when United 
Italy is only in its infancy, the best for introducing the necessary Church 
Reforms ? 

To this we reply, that unless Church Reform can be carried now, it 
will be impossible to carry it at any future time without a new Revo- 
lution. Macaulay, in his History of England, points out this very 
clearly, when he says that the reign of Elizabeth was the time for a 
Religious Reformation in England ; but, having allowed that oppor- 
tunity to pass, it was impossible in the reigns which followed to apply 
any remedy to the woes which ensued from the want of Church Reform. 
Let Italy take a lesson from the disastrous history of England in the 
time of the Stuarts, and she will not hesitate in at once proceeding with 
the necessary Church Reforms. 

It requires no gift of prophecy to foresee that the wars and anarchy 
in store for Italy will equal, if not surpass, the wars of the Stuarts, 
which desolated England for one hundred and fifty years, if the Parlia- 
ment of Italy, after the example of the Parliament of England, con- 
tents itself with Civil Reforms. 

The only opposition which a reforming Parliament will have to meet 
is from a few of the noble families who are personally connected with the 
hierarchy, and with the ignorance of the peasant class, over whom 
those families may have influence ; but a good cause will easily over- 
come all such opposition. It is not difficult to show that there can 
be no peace while liberty reigns in the state, and despotism in the 
Church ; and that it is necessary to make the Church harmonize with 
the state before Italy can be a free and a united Kingdom. 

The new Articles proposed for the Protestant Reformation will be 
equally suitable for the Catholic Reformation, for as there is only one 
Truth and one Gospel, so there ought to be only one Creed. We 
specially refer our Catholic friends to these Articles, which they will 
find to be such as they can accept with a good conscience. 

Our desire is to see Catholics and Protestants united in one faith and 
one doctrine, although they may not be united as one Church ; and who 



82 THE NEW REFORMATION. 

is able to conceive the benefits which such a union will confer on the 
human race. The two Churches have hitherto been always at variance, 
but they will now go hand in hand, for their interests will henceforth 
be one. No longer will host encounter host on the battle field of a 
religious war, as in the days of Walestein and G-ustavus, for the great 
causes of war will have ceased. 

If the Catholics complain of the sacrifices they have to make, we 
answer that the sacrifice of Luther's doctrine of Justification without 
Works is equal to all the sacrifices of the Catholics. The Christian 
religion is love to others and the denial of self-love, and both Churches 
will act on that principle by submitting to the call now made for a 
general reformation. Let both Catholics and Protestants take a dis- 
passionate view of the matter, not under the influence of prejudice, 
habit, and education, but with reference to the interests of the whole 
human race, and the world shall rejoice in that Liberty which is the 
birth-right of all. 



CHAPTER Y. 

THE NEW REFORMATION. 

" Old things are passing away ; behold, all things are becoming new." 

It surprises many that along with Political Revolutions there should 
exist a tendency to reformation in things moral and religious. The 
Political Revolutions and the New Reformation are opposite currents, 
the one indicating the rule of the Feelings, and the other the rule of 
the Intellect, and it is not difficult to account for these events coming 
together, for necessity is ever the mother of invention. 

The Emperor Nicholas was the first to make a move in the interests 
of despotism when he occupied the Danubian Provinces in 1854. This 
aggression called forth the armies of France and England, and at 
Sevastopol the first blow was given to that interest. The Emperor of 
Austria took the next step when he occupied Italy, contrary to the 
understanding with France, that the Austrian troops, instead of being 
encreased, were gradually to be withdrawn. This second aggression 
provoked the hostility of France and Piedmont, and on the plains of 
Villa Franca, the second blow to despotism was given. The third act 
in the drama originated with the liberals, who now feel themselves 
strong enough to adopt the offensive. 

Garibaldi can no longer be restrained. He sets sail from Genoa with 
a handful of followers, and succeeds in uniting all Italy under one 
Government. There is nothing in history to compare with this heroic 
act, both as regards its origin and its consequences, for it is destined to 
regenerate not Italy only, but the whole world. Napoleon has done 
much, and Cavour has done much, but it may be that history will 
award the palm to the noble Garibaldi. 

We read that he who conquers himself is greater than he who takes 
a city ; and after witnessing the recent reconciliation of the conqueror 
of Palermo and Naples, with Cavour, the great statesman who directs 



THE NEW REFORMATION. 83 

the whole Italian movement, we may well accord to Garibaldi the 
honour of having conquered himself as well as great cities. Hence- 
forth let no man be called great who is unable to conquer himself; and 
the careers of Napoleon, Cavour, and Garibaldi are conspicuous for 
this noblest of qualities, — a virtue sufficient for the conquest of the 
world. 

We have now shown that the present excited state of Europe has 
not originated with the liberals, but with their opponents of Russia 
and Austria ; and if these powers complain of the reforming spirit 
which their ambition has everywhere evoked, they must know that they 
have themselves to blame for it, — for it was they who took the initiative 
as we have explained. 

Such was the state of parties when a new element began to show 
itself. Hitherto the combatants had been so busy with their military 
affairs, that they had no time to think of anything else. Now, how- 
ever, they begin to ask what causes the evils they have been contending 
with at the risk of their lives, — and these are found to be Religious as 
well as Political. The Reformation movement breaks out in England 
with great force ; and the note is no sooner struck than it vibrates in 
every capital of Europe. 

No one interested in peace can fail to see the extreme importance of 
ihe new movement. While parties were equally balanced, it was to be 
feared that the disastrous times of Walestein and Gustavus were to be 
renewed. Now, however, that is impossible, — for, as the forces on 
the side of liberty are now so preponderating, we may safely predict 
that there will either be no war, or at least only a very short one. 
It is the balance of power that produces protracted wars; for when 
the preponderance is overwhelming, there can be no warfare of any 
continuance. 

Union is power, and as the Reformation movement will unite all 
nations in one grand fraternity, devoted to the Reformation of Civil- 
ization, the sure and certain foundation of a better world is laid. The 
Reformation Societies will help those nations who have drifted into a 
Revolution to convert such into a Reformation, and those nations which 
are only threatened with a Revolution we shall help to avoid such, by 
inducing them to carry out a Reformation for themselves. Such is the 
great mission of the Reformation Society, and as we take the world 
for our province, so we ask the co-operation of all nations in carrying 
forward our work to its completion. 

The great and ultimate object of the New Reformation is to make 
men good. We do not of course say that man is bad, but only that 
the Reformation is intended to make him better. The object is to pro- 
duce soul and character ; and here again we must explain that we 
do not say that men are without soul, but merely that our object is to 
improve, or add, to the soul. For one man who can discourse on prin- 
ciples, ninety-nine are only able to discuss personalities, — showing that 
a great want of soul and character exists; and it- is to supply this want, 
and so improve man, that the Reformation movement has been inau- 
gurated. Peace, Happiness, and Contentment are the great objects in 
view; and to make the soul equal to the production of these enjoyments 
is the object of reformation. 



134 THE NEW REFORNATION. 

Mr. Emerson, in his "Conduct of Life," says: — "When souls reach 
a certain clearness of perception, they accept a Knowledge and Motive 
above Selfishness." Yes, we are to strive to make man less selfish ; and 
in thus depressing self, we shall be able to feel for our fellow-men, 
when "Respect for Others" will take the place of pride and haughtiness. 

The Soul once enlightened must be sustained. Nay more, it must 
increase in strength day by day, or it will go backwards — for unless 
the soul advances it will decline, for in nature there is no standing still. 
The constitution of Human Nature is this. Enlightenment will cer- 
tainly destroy Selfishness, but it must never be forgotten that we must 
trim our lights daily, or they will grow dim or go out, when selfishness 
will resume its sway. 

We wish to place the whole case plainly before our readers, that they 
may not be over sanguine that when they begin to see the light they 
have once for all overcome their evil passions, for they will find that it 
takes a lifetime to vanquish self. No — we must go on slowly, and step 
by step ; we must moreover walk humbly, for over-confidence usually 
precedes a fall. Reformation is a work of degrees, to be spread over 
a whole lifetime. What is the use of this world, but the faithful 
discharge of this duty of life ? 

It is to help man to perform this work of reformation that Christ 
founded His Church, and without the Lord's Day on which the gospel 
is to be preached, or without the Grospel itself, man could not have 
reached his present state of civilization, or be able to go on from thence 
to perfection. 

Men do not like Truth and Principle until they understand them, 
but when they are explained and fully comprehended, men are willing 
to submit as a duty, and afterwards, when they become a little 
accustomed to them, they rejoice in them. Everyman thinks he knows 
truth, and it is not until we are persuaded to read and think that 
we begin to give way ; and we may add that we do not know a case 
where the whole truth has been told, where the reformation has not 
taken effect. 

We have been told we have the four gospels, and with these, what 
more do we want ? To this we reply the gospels only give the basis 
on which to build a Church ; they are the raw material but the Church 
is the edifice. Without the Church to interpret the Bible, the gospels 
produce a different religion in the minds of all, according to the state of 
intelligence in which each mind is ; and in order to meet this unavoid- 
able difficulty, a Church has been happily instituted, and it follows that 
instead of wishing to destroy the Church by depriving her of her 
Articles, we must build her up by giving her a new and better Code of 
Articles. A Religion or Church without Articles may be compared to 
a quantity of beads unstrung, and a religion with Articles to the same 
beads when strung. The beads being the raw material, and the string 
which unites them and makes them useful, the articles. 

The moment that men lose their love of the Christian Religion, which 
they are so apt to do with our present defective Articles to repel 
them, they fly to Nature. They wish to be free from all restraint, like 
;the nomades of primitive times. Men have not yet learned to distinguish 
between Nature and Civilization, or between the religion of Nature 



THE NEW REFORMATION. 85 

and the religion of Christ. They do not perceive that in rejecting 
Christianity they necessarily go back to Nature, for if Christianity is 
Truth, and we reject it, of course nothing but Nature is left. If our 
readers will only take the trouble to consult the " Philosophy of Civil- 
ization," to which we have so often had occasion to refer, they will find 
this most important distinction clearly stated. 

Let us repeat, the liberty of Nature is not liberty, but bondage, for 
where there is no rule of conduct there can be no protection to liberty. 
The more ignorant people are, the more necessary is a Church, and 
instead of the prevailing ignorance of the world being an argument for 
doing away with articles, it is the reverse. Were all men cognisant of 
the truth, we could then do without articles, and without a Church, 
but that time has not come yet. 

Depend upon it, that a Church is the right hand of Civilization and 
Liberty, and although, owing to its imperfections, it has been the source 
of evil as well as good, yet that is no reason why, when the Church is 
reformed, it will not become an unmixed good. If the world would 
suffer loss to be deprived of the Bible, it would suffer still greater loss 
to be deprived of the Church, for then the people would be left without 
teachers, and practically without a Bible. 

There are only two ways in which a Reformation can come — the 
one in a Miraculous manner, like the reformation of Christ ; and the 
other in the Natural way, like the reformation of Luther. That we 
are not to expect the repetition of a miraculous reformation is the 
uniform testimony of eighteen centuries, in which no miraculous inter- 
ferences have taken place ; and on reading the Scriptures, we find 
nothing to indicate that any second Revelation is to be made. The 
following is the opinion of Bishop Butler : — 

" And as it is owned the the whole scheme of Scripture is not yet 
understood, so, if it ever comes to be understood without Miraculous 
interpositions, it must be by the continuance and progress of learning 
and of liberty, and by particular persons attending to, comparing, and 
pursuing intimations scattered up and down, which are overlooked and 
disregarded by the world. This is the way in which all improvements 
are made ; by thoughtful men tracing on obscure hints, as it were, 
dropped us by Nature accidentally, or which seem to come into our 
minds by chance. And possibly it might be intended that Events, as 
they come to pass, should open and ascertain the meaning of Scripture." 

Why should we always be so anxious to put good far from us, by 
saying that a Natural reformation is impossible ? Is not that the 
way to continue the reign of darkness and evil? "It is the duty," 
says the Times, "of a journal to be hopeful, and even sanguine — to 
expect prosperity, and to teach progress." We trust this most season- 
able advice will be taken, for if we desire to improve the world, we 
must believe in the possibility of it, and help others to believe the same. 

Neither the Clergy nor the people generally, were prepared for any- 
thing half so good as a Reformation, when the present movement com- 
menced. They had their fears of coming evil ; but not their hopes of 
coming good. The people have been taught to expect evil, and now 
when good comes they are put out, and say, surely this is too 
good to be true. Such is the state of the public mind at this momen- 



86 THE NEW REFORMATION. 

tous crisis of the world's history ; and we hope the Clergy will follow 
the advice so opportunely offered, to prepare the minds of their congre- 
gations for the coming changes. 

The necessary changes of doctrine are great and complex; and unless 
the clergy will take the trouble to explain the principles of the refor- 
mation to their flocks, the people will be like sheep without a shepherd. 
We throw out this hint as we happen to know how the matter stands; 
but if the clergy will not act upon it, on them must lie the responsibility 
of withholding information from their people, which they have a right 
to expect at the hands of their pastors. Let our monrnmg be turned 
into joy, and let the pulpits be hung with garlands, for assuredly the 
time of the Church's reformation and regeneration has come. 

We can assure the clergy that we have no wish to trespass on their 
domain further than is absolutely necessary to carry the Church Reform 
Bill through Parliament. So soon as that Bill is carried, we shall with- 
draw from the field, and confine ourselves to the other objects of the 
Society. We shall rejoice when the Clergy enable us to lay down 
our mission as Church Reformers, for we shall do so with the satisfac- 
tion of those who have planted a goodly vineyard, and have lived to 
eat the fruits thereof. We shall have a better world in which to live, 
and that shall be our reward. 

The success of our movement depends greatly on the circulation of 
these Essays, — for which we must look mainly to the exertions of our 
friends. One lady has distributed two hundred copies, and the letters 
she has received are quite a treat to read, and we hope amply repay the 
expense and trouble she has taken in the matter. We mention this 
incident in the hope that so noble an example may be followed by all 
who can spare the time, and who have a heart for suffering humanity. 
A cookery book sells 150,000 copies, but as yet the sale of our Essays 
has been comparatively small. The people as yet care more for direc- 
tions as to how to please their palates, than for directions how to think 
and act. Now all this indifference as to good reading will soon pass 
away if our friends will help us to circulate these tracts. One hun- 
dred may be got for thirty shillings, and as the book postage is only 
one penny, what we now ask ought not to be considered a heavy demand 
in so good a cause. 

We could say many things for the women that we cannot say for the 
men, but in one thing the former fail, and that is in liberality. If the 
women would enquire and think before they decide, they would be less 
intolerant and more liberal; and that lesson we must all learn if the 
world is to be improved, for there is no greater barrier to the advance- 
ment of morality and religion than intolerance. One lady is said to 
have burned our Essay No. 2, as soon as she had read it ; and it is in 
order to put a stop to such intolerance that we have found ourselves 
called on to make these remarks. The following extract from Mr. Mill's 
celebrated Essay on " Liberty," ought to protect us from intolerance in 
future, and we recommend the lady who burned our Essay to learn it 
by heart. 

" So natural to mankind is intolerance in whatever they really care 
about, that religious freedom has hardly anywhere been practically 
realised. Though the yoke of Opinion in this country is perhaps heavier, 



THE NEW REFORMATION. 87 

that of Law is lighter than in most other countries. It is often argued, 
and still oftener thought, that none but bad men would desire to weaken 
popular beliefs. The Truth, of an opinion is part of its utility. If we 
would know whether or not it is desirable that a proposition should be 
believed, is it possible to except the consideration of whether it be true 
or not. Social Intolerance roots out no opinion, but only induces men 
to conceal them. In our times, from the highest class of society down 
to the lowest, every one lives under the eye of a hostile and dreaded 
censorship." — Mill on Liberty. 

But avc must conclude. Mr. Mill says in his new work on Constitu- 
tional Government, that " When things are left to themselves they usually 
go to decay" or as the Rev. Mr. Py croft expresses it, when things 
are left to take their course they take a bad course. The truth of 
these statements being admitted, it follows that if we desire the good 
of religion — the progress of civilization — and the good of the Church, 
we must not allow the Church to take its course. No, we must 
step in and apply the remedy. Let every congregation send up its 
petition to Parliament for the passing of the Church Reform Bill, 
and the Church will be saved. Until that is done there will be no 
Peace and no Religious Liberty. 

These are no ordinary times in which we live. Every post brings 
us news of wars and rumours of wars and revolutions, and when we 
again address the public it is hard to say what we shall not have to 
communicate. The present is a time of dread reality, as well as of 
hope, let us therefore meet it like men, and not allow ourselves to be 
overcome by evil. 

The Revolution and anarchy which have visited our relations in 
America may well fill us with amazement, and at the same time teach 
us a solemn lesson. What is going on in America, is only what took 
place in France some eighty years ago, and what may visit ourselves if 
we do not do something to forestal the coming evil. The absence of 
Reform caused the French Revolution. The same cause has produced 
the American Revolution, and it will be the same should England fall 
under the like calamity. What saved the Constitution in 1848, when 
it was to be overthrown by Chartists, but the Reform Bill previously 
passed by Lord John Russell, and if the Church Reform Bill is now 
passed, we shall be able -to point to it as the salvation of England 
in years to come. 

To remain passive and do nothing to enable us to meet the 
coming storm, will be suicidal, and that course must not be tolerated 
for a moment; for, as already said, to leave things to take their course 
is to court destruction. Let us take warning, for these are not times to 
be trifled with, and although it pains us to write in words like these, 
yet we feel we should ill discharge our duty as reformers if we were 
to preach peace when there is no peace, for that would only purchase 
present indulgence at the cost of future suffering. 

The error which Wilberforce and Chalmers committed was in not 
going to the root of evil, by reforming the Church, for they contented 
themselves in attacking evil at the outside. When will men be wise, 
and deal with evil as a whole, and not in detail? — the one method being 
the remedy of " cure," and the other " prevention." As well try to 



88 THE NEW REFOKMATION. 

stop a river at its many exits, instead of going to the fountain head, 
where the remedy is comparatively easy. 

We complain of the hardness of the times and of every thing going 
wrong, but it never occurs to us to ask why things do not go more 
smoothly. Now all this jarring might be corrected if we would only 
address ourselves to its cause. What causes differences of opinion but 
the prevalence of error ? and we have shown how error may be expelled, 
and how those differences may be brought to an end. 

The present is a time for action and noble deeds, in which timidity 
and compromise shall not be allowed to enter. Let it not be said that 
our rulers are afraid that when the people are enlightened they will be 
more difficult to govern, for that is opposed to reason and common 
sense, for it is darkness and delusion which are the adversaries of any 
government. It appears to us that we must make up our minds either 
for a reformation or a revolution, and in these circumstances we cannot 
doubt that all parties will prefer the former. 

To those who reply that a general reformation is too much for 
one generation, we answer, the sooner the great and indispensable work 
is begun, the sooner will it be accomplished. If we do not ourselves 
reap the full reward of our exertions, we shall at least prepare the way 
for our children. , We may rely upon it, if we do not begin a refor- 
mation in our time, that the world will be much worse for our children 
than it has has been for us ; but if we will begin the work now, the 
world, instead of being worse to our successors, will be better. It 
is in the interests of ourselves, and our children, and children's children, 
that we make this appeal, and in touching the heart we trust we shall 
have a response which shall transfer itself into the pages of history, 
for all time coming. 

Political reformers have to contend with private interests ; but 
our movement contends only with Satan's Kingdom of ignorance 
and delusion, for when the reformation is carried, it will be found 
that not one private interest has been affected by it, except for the 
better. The Statesman with an improved Public Opinion to deal 
with, will be able to proceed with legislation in peace and satis- 
faction to himself and those for whom he labours. Editors of 
the press will have an intelligent public to deal with, when their 
shackles will fall off. The Clergy will be free men, making havoc of 
every stronghold of Satan, and gathering around them a people who 
will rise up and call them "blessed." The People will throw their 
differences to the moles and bats, and henceforth live in peace and 
goodwill with each other, with none to make them afraid. Such are 
the glories of the New Eeformation ; and if the work is great, the 
fruits to be gathered are still greater. 



FINIS 



PRINTED BY GEO. H. NICHOLS, EAEL'S COURT, LEICESTER SQUARE, LONDON. 



GOVERNMENT REFORM 



IN 



ENGLAND AND AMERICA. 



" We enjoy peace, order, wealth, and advancement in all material and social matters. 
But let us beware. The whole world, old and new, tells us how soon all this may be 
suddenly checked, thrown into ruin, and laid under clouds and darkness." — The Times, 
August, 1861. 



ESSAY No. 4. 



LONDON: 
SOLD BY GEO. H. NICHOLS, EARL'S COURT, 

LEICESTER SQUARE. 

1861. 



PREFACE 



It has often been said, that without a Revolution or some external 
aid, no nation is able to reform itself, and with one or two exceptions 
in history the statement is universally true. The present being an 
epoch when Revolution is widely spread, we may expect great changes 
to result from it, but without external aid, as well as revolution, the 
process of Reform will be as slow and imperfect as in former times. 

It is with the object of supplying external aid, in the shape of counsel 
and advice, that these Essays of the Reformation Society have been 
written. Our purpose is to let all nations know that the good of one 
nation produces the good of every other, and that by one nation re- 
forming itself it assists others to do the same. In this way the present 
time of revolution and change may be turned into a time of general 
good — a result which will deliver the world from the mass of evil which 
holds it in bondage. 

The issue of all previous revolutions has been a mixture of good and 
evil, and for that reason, new revolutions to correct the faults of the 
former revolutions are called for. With the assistance of a definite 
system of reform, applicable to all nations, these imperfections will be 
remedied, and the result will be unmixed good. 

In reviewing the present state of the world we shall begin with 
England and America ; and having surveyed the condition of the 
Anglo- Saxon race on both shores of the Atlantic, we shall cross the 
Channel and portray the position of the various nations of Continental 
Europe. The present extraordinary era of history is peculiarly 
suitable for such a survey, for it presents a struggle between good and 
evil, which was perhaps never before so general, or so strongly marked. 

It is deplorable to witness the excited state of the nations, coupled 
with the want of definite objects to direct the movements of the 
contending factions into which every country is divided. The press, 
instead of aiding us to arrive at the knowledge of what ought to be 
done, only seems to perplex us. The vast magnitude of the interests at 
stake is another source of difficulty ; for to cope with times like these 
much study and reflection are wanted ; and few men unfortunately have 
either the time or the inclination to fit themselves for the office of 
public instructors. 

As all parties are alike interested in producing the greatest possible 
amount of good out of the revolutions now in progress, we trust our 
motives in urging the necessary Reforms on public attention will be 
appreciated. 

25, Conduit Street, W. 

London, 11th August, 1861. 



CONTENTS 



ESSAY No. 1.— Published February, 1861. 

PAGE. 

General Preface . 1 

Chap. I. — Opening Address of the Society, with a Draft of their proposed 

Church Reform Bill 3 

II. — The Protestant Churches, and how they are to he Reformed . 6 

III. — The Catholic Churches, and how they are to he Reformed . 11 
IV. — The Proposed New Articles of Religion to he substituted for 

the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church . . . . .15 



ESSAY No. 2.— April, 1861. 

Chap. I. — Foreign Politics and the English Press 

II. — Criticism on the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church 

III. — The Errors of Calvinism 

IV. — Revivalism and its Errors 

V. — Free Libraries, and how they may be Supported 
VI. — M. Cayla's Essay on the New Reformation 
VII. — The New Reformation Society and its Progress 



27 
30 
35 
39 
43 
46 
52 



ESSAY No. 3.— June, 1861. 

Chap. I. — The American Revolution, and the Reforms which are called for 61 
II. — Mr. Spurgeon and Dr. Pusey. The Low Church and the 

High Church 69 

III. — The Ottoman Empire and its Destiny 75 

IV.— The Papacy, and its Downfall 78 

V.— The Objects of the New Reformation 82 

ESSAY No. 4.— August, 1861. 

Chap. I. — England, and a New Office to Centralise the Government . . 93 
II. — Public Opinion Reduced to Principles. The Sixty-one Thesis 

of the New Reformation 100 

III. — The Kingdom of Italy, and how her Difficulties may be met . 109 

IV. — Austria, Russia, and Prussia, and the Reforms that are necessary 112 

V. — France and Napoleon III 115 

VI. — The Civil War in America, and the basis of a General Peace 

with the Southern States 118 



CHAPTER I. 

ENGLAND, AND GOVERNMENT REFORM. 

America is like a ship at sea imperfectly equipped, which has been 
rent in twain. From the first she was badly put together, and although 
she continued to exist for a time, yet it was always under difficulties, 
and now the inevitable crash has come. The great fault was the inde- 
pendence of the individual states, and the want of a National Church. 
By keeping the ship in compartments, opposing interests grew up ; 
and by ignoring the religious wants of the people, conflicting opinions 
prevailed in all the states to an extent unprecedented in any other 
country ; and out of those two causes has the catastrophe come. 

England reels under the shock of the American revolution. 
Threatened as we are with the loss of a large portion of our trade 
and manufactures, on which several millions of our population depend, 
there is no wonder that grave fears for the future peace of the 
country should be entertained. In these circumstances it becomes us 
to set our house in order, so that we may meet any possible contingency 
in the attitude of preparation. With this object in view, we shall 
state what we think ought to be done to give new life to our govern- 
ment, which has fallen into a semi-dead state. 

If we are asked whether the country is prosperous or not, we answer, it 
is not, for all classes complain more and more of the increasing hardness 
of the times. But how can this be, in the face of a flourishing exchequer, 
and increasing imports and exports ? Are not these tests of prosperity ? 
Certainly not. The rapid increase of transactions often precedes ruin 
and insolvency in private affairs, and that which damages the public inte- 
rests fills the exchequer. The best test of prosperity is the experience 
of the people themselves, and we ask the reader to go into any town, 
large or small, or to any class of the people, and tell us where he does 
not find an increasing amount of privation and suffering. To the slow 
progress of reform must be attributed the cause of this suffering, and 
in order to show how that should be, we give the following speech from 
Mr. Palmer, the new Solicitor-General. 

"It is for the advantage of a country that a government should be 
reasonably strong. There are two kinds of conservatism — the one is 
destructive, and the other common to all true liberals. The destructive 
stands still, is selfish, advocates class privileges, thinks everything 
as good as it should be, and dislikes all change. True conservatism 
is Progress. That which is stationary goes to decay and dies ; that 
which is progressive lives and grows. The progress of reform should 
be constant and steady, for on that the prosperity of the nation depends." 
— July, 1861. 

It is admitted by all parties that our government as it now exists 
is much too passive to meet the wants of modern civilization. Take 
the state of the great metropolis as an example of our legislative 



94 ENGLAND. 

capacity. London is provided with fine wide streets where there is 
little traffic, and nothing better than lanes where the traffic is greatest. 
Private interests rule everything, and the public interest nowhere ; and 
that is the reason why London is not provided with streets, to the 
eternal disgrace of our government. 

Look at Parliament. There the mass of Bills are private Bills. 
The public Bills are few, and those few of little or no importance. 
Everything is left to private interests, and the public interests are 
entirely sacrificed. In these circumstances there is no wonder that 
evil and suffering abound more and more. The passive system can 
be tolerated no longer, for if Parliament will not make the necessary 
reforms, the nation will. Nature will take its own course in a way 
which we may live to regret. 

The passive system has always been the policy of England, but that 
is no reason that it is right. The past history of England proves the 
opposite, for what caused the civil wars and revolutions of England 
but the want of reform. The want of reform causes disaffection and 
treason, and that is the reason why all bad Governments are tyrannical — 
want of reform being the cause, and tyranny the effect. Our statesmen 
have been accustomed to look for great statistical results more than the 
good of the people. Large imports and exports fill the exchequer, and 
to short-sighted statesmen that is sufficient. But to benefit the few and 
leave the many as ignorant and dependent as ever is not true states- 
manship. The following remarks are from the London Correspondent 
of the " New York Times." 

"Parliament sits and talks with all the pertinacity of an American 
Congress, and with not half its vivacity. Reform moves so slowly in 
every branch, that it is impossible not to believe that at some not very 
far distant day, some sudden shock will give a final impulse to popular 
opinion, strong enough to break down in a moment all those vexatious 
and unreasonable barriers which now impede free action and circulation 
of blood in Church and State. This has been predicted so often, that 
it seems mere folly to repeat it ; yet I am inclined to believe, from a 
pretty long experience of Englishmen, that they regard some such 
result as a mere question of time, and like Lord Palmerston, content 
themselves with believing that the present state of things will last 
their day." 

These sentiments are certainly not very flattering to English states- 
manship, but when we consult the speeches of the Chancellor of the 
Exchequer, we find them fully confirmed. Here are the words of 
Mr. Gladstone : — 

"Mr. Gladstone had no hesitation in saying that this and other 
circumstances of a like kind were entirely owing to the lamentable 
and deplorable state of our whole arrangements with regard to the 
management of public affairs. Vacillation, uncertainty, costliness, ex- 
travagance, and all the conflicting vices that could be enumerated, were 
united in the present system. There was a total want of authority to 
direct and guide. When there was anything to be done, they had to go 
from department to department, from the Executive to the House of 
Commons, from the House of Commons to a Committee, from a Com- 



GOVERNMENT REFORM. 95 

mittee to a Commission, and from a Commission to a Committee, — so 
years pass away, the public are disappointed, and the money of the 
country is wasted. He believed that such were the evils of the system, 
that nothing short of a revolutionary reform would ever be sufficient to 
rectify them." 

After these remarks from the Government itself we trust we shall 
hear no more boasting of our incomparable Constitution and so forth. 
The Americans boasted of their Constitution up to the hour of its dis- 
ruption — let both nations come to reality, and they will have little to 
boast of. The "London Review," a weekly journal lately established, 
which, in its advocacy of sound principles, is second to none, has the 
following remarks on Mr. Gladstone's speech : — 

" But what sort of revolutionary reform ? for there's the rub. Tell 
the country what is the remedy, and the country, we are certain, will 
take it. The people would not stop short of revolution, if only it 
could be made to see what revolution would do, how it would act as a 
medicine, what precise effects might be expected from it. England has 
already tried revolution, and found great good to come of it ; but then 
it saw beforehand that the work which revolution would produce was 
precisely an efficient cure. Revolution got rid of a tyrannical and in- 
curable dynasty ; it put a better one on the throne, and the country 
obtained a security which it had never before enjoyed. 

" The true cause of the absence of responsibility in England is the 
want of a master to whom the public servants are accountable. Mr. 
Cobden accurately describes the French process. The Emperor wants 
an efficient navy ; it is his own direct affair ; the advantages of a well, 
and the losses of an ill-managed navy fall on him; and, consequently, 
he chooses for Minister of Marine a man who is up to the work, and 
will do it well. He selects him on just the same principle as a gentle- 
man chooses his gardener, or a manufacturer his foreman. In England, 
it is quite otherwise. A man is placed at the head of the various 
departments, not because he has the ability and the knowledge to 
qualify him to discharge the duties of those several departments, but 
because he is a man of political weight. Hence the members of an 
English Government never feel themselves really answerable for the 
goodness or badness of the work done in their several offices." 

The late Mr. Joseph Hume thought to remedy the evils of Govern- 
ment by a new Electoral Reform Bill ; but, alas, we have no hope 
that any new Parliament would be better than the one we have got. 
To offer the people votes instead of good legislation will deceive them 
no longer. The people have at last discovered that that is offering 
them a stone when they ask for bread ; of which the indifference 
which the people now display towards reform agitations is the evi- 
dence. 

The remedy which we propose for our passive Government is the 
creation of a new office — to supervise and control the whole. Nature 
is a unity as well as a collection of parts, and if we either allow the 
parts to be lost in the whole, or the whole to be lost in the parts, we 
offend the laws of nature and produce evil and distortion. It is the 
same with a Government. Centralization is as necessary to good 



96 ENGLAND. 

Government as division, and the new office we propose will supply 
the want of centralization. 

The new office may be called the Board of Public Bills. It would 
be presided over by the Premier who would be responsible for its acts. 
The duties of this Board would comprise the following, — 1st, to take 
the initiative in all reforms, and to prepare the necessary Bills to carry 
them out. 2nd, to receive reports from the other departments of 
government ; and 3rd, to report its proceedings weekly or monthly as 
might be necessary ; these reports to be published as soon as they are 
ready. The Board of Customs and Inland Revenue would report on 
the state of their accounts, and at the same time point out any improve- 
ments they might desire. The War Office and the Naval Board would 
report on the state of their accounts, and what reforms they wish. In 
this way would the whole public affairs of the nation be brought 
into one focus, when the wants of the country would be properly 
attended to. 

If we are told that what we ask is already in operation, for the 
Cabinet Council controls the whole Government, we answer, the 
Cabinet is practically an irresponsible body. Its transactions are not 
published, and as it consists of a number of members, it is impossible 
to say who is responsible for its acts. If it be said that the Chan- 
cellor of the Exchequer is responsible for the expenditure of the 
country, we answer, that he exercises no control over the other 
departments, and is, therefore, not responsible for what they do. 

We have an Attorney and a Solicitor-General to attend to the legal 
and judicial interests of the nation, but no officer to attend to its 
legislative interests, which are of much greater importance ; and it is 
to supply that want, that we have proposed a Public Bill Office. This 
is not a revolutionary measure, and if it is adopted, there will be no 
occasion for the organic changes which Mr. Gladstone thinks necessary. 
What makes the French Government superior to ours ? but that it has 
the Emperor to control the whole, and propose the necessary reforms ; 
and with the new office, our system will be as perfect and complete as 
the French system. 

With the Public Bill Office in operation, everybody will know what 
is doing, and if acknowledged abuses are not met by the introduction of 
the necessary Bills, we shall know who is to blame. The resources 
of England and the Colonies will be vastly encreased, and the expenses 
of the nation reduced, which will enable us to get rid of burdensome 
taxation. In this way will the government fulfil its great mission of 
producing good and reducing evil. 

The cost of the army and navy is about thirty millions sterling per 
annum. We are satisfied that when responsibility has been introduced 
into the system in the manner we propose, that this vast expenditure 
may be reduced at the very least one third. This great saving will be 
effected without reducing the pay of the men or the officers, — nor will 
the strength of either service be reduced by one man. The saving will 
arise solely from better management ; and even after the expenditure 
on the army and navy is reduced to twenty millions, that sum will still 
exceed what the French spend on their army and navy. 



GOVERNMENT REFORM. 97 

With the ten millions of saving, and other savings which we could 
name, we propose entirely to abolish the tax on tea, and the tax on 
income. These are the taxes which press severely on the people ; and 
large as the revenue derived from these sources is, yet the proposed 
Government Reform will enable us to abolish them root and branch. 
The relief from the pressure of these burdensome taxes will be great 
beyond conception — and we call on the people of England to send up 
their Petitions to Parliament, so that our proposal may be carried 
without delay. 

If the night work of the Houses of Parliament could be got rid of, 
it would be a great improvement. With day work instead of night 
work, which is quite unworthy of an enlightened age, we shall have 
more business and less speaking. Another discouragement to talking 
would be given if Editors would abridge the speeches in their journals. 
Why fill up the papers with long speeches, which not one in a hundred 
ever look at ? 

Presuming that the Government and Parliament will be reformed 
in the manner we have pointed out, the question arises, how are such 
sweeping reforms to be put into operation, for we might easily waste 
several ordinary sessions on the discussion of such questions. To this 
we answer, let a short session be called this winter for the special 
purpose of carrying out the proposed reforms, and for laying down a 
new set of " Standing Orders " for the Houses of Parliament. When 
that is done, Parliament will enter on its new duties without loss 
of time. 

An important debate in the House of Lords, on Lord Ebury's proposal 
to reform the Liturgy of the Church, has just taken place, and as it 
shows that the Lords are disposed to entertain the question, we give 
the following extracts. 

" The fatal and revengeful Act of Charles II. was passed in the year 
1662 ; next year will be the 200th anniversary, and he (Lord Ebury) 
trusted their lordships would feel sincere pleasure in substituting for 
it something more in harmony with the Christianity of our age. 
(Hear, hear.) " 

The Bishop of London said : — 

" The noble lord (Lord Ebury) presses the necessity of a General 
Revision of the Liturgy. Now, that course has only been taken at 
a period of Revolution. When the Church recovered from the convul- 
sion into which it was thrown at the time of the Reformation, there 
was, of course, a General Revision. When Charles II. was restored 
after the Commonwealth, and again when James II. was compelled to 
leave the throne, there was a General Revision of the Liturgy. It 
seemed out of the question to propose a General Revision of the whole 
Liturgy of the Church of England at a time like the present. As to 
the terms of subscription, it was of great importance that the public 
should not suppose them to be more rigid than they really were. His 
impression was, that a man who conscientiously believed the Church of 
England to be the Church in which he wished to live and die, and who 
was not more attached to any other form of Christianity than to the 



98 ENGLAND. 

Church of England, might fairly and safely make the subscriptions." 
—■July 22nd, 1861. 

The present times present a striking resemblance to the times to 
which Lord Ebury has referred, just two hundred years ago. The year 
1662 saw the Conformity Bill of Charles II. passed, when two thousand 
Clergymen seceded from the Church. Four years later (1666), the Great 
Plague and fire of London took place ; and two years after that calamity 
(1688), came the Great Revolution, which placed William III. on the 
throne. Let our Parliament consider these things, befere it rejects the 
Reforms of the Church which are now called for. 

Let us remind the Bishop of London that to refuse reform in the 
present circumstances of the Church and the country is to encourage a 
Revolution, for it is not by refusing reforms, but by submitting to them, 
that Revolutions can be prevented. We trust one of the first acts 
of the new Bill Office will be, to lay the Church Reform Bill of our 
Society on the table of the House of Lords, and then the Bishops 
will not have to complain that they do not know the precise nature of 
the reforms which are demanded by the people. The speech of the 
Bishop of London is sufficiently liberal to induce us to hope that he 
will give us his powerful support in the House of Lords next session. 

The voluntary controversy which begun in 1834, has unfortunately 
divided this country almost equally between two great factions — 
the aristocrats and the democrats. No writers have arisen to throw 
light on this great controversy ; the consequence has been that the 
nation is divided, and the question remains as unsettled as when it first 
began. We have endeavoured to hold the scales of justice equally 
balanced between those great factions, and by producing a system at 
once conservative and liberal, we receive support from all parties. 

The voluntary principle is the absence of legislation, which is a 
step in the direction of nature. Let every one do as he likes, let there 
be no articles of belief, no national church, no national school, and all 
will go right. That is the language of the voluntary principle ; but 
when we look to the other side of the Atlantic, where the voluntary 
principle has been tried and failed, we find that instead of everything 
going right, everything goes wrong. It is clear that if everyone is 
to do as he likes there can be no government, and no liberty ; and as 
those are essential to our well-being we cannot follow that course. 
What has given strength to the voluntary movement has been the 
error of their opponents in keeping up the abuses of the Church and 
the State; but let these be removed, and the cry for no Church and no 
Articles will pass away. We say it is the want of reform in the 
Church and the State which creates discord and disaffection. Let that 
want be supplied and disunited England will again be united. 

The degree of Intelligence and Public Spirit in any country may 
always be tested by the amount of moral courage it possesses. Now 
where are we to look for moral courage ? Our statesmen and members 
of Parliament immediately abandon any public measure the moment 
they descry the symptoms of opposition. It is the same with the Press 
— for they will notice nothing that will displease any of their readers. 
Here we see the reason why Good makes no progress, and why Evil 



GOVERNMENT REFORM. 99 

superabounds. Of Moral Courage, there is none, and as for Pnblic 
Spirit, that has long ceased to animate the hearts of any portion of the 
community with which we are acquainted. This selfish spirit is the 
natural consequence of a system of government which is not based on 
" responsibility ; " but when that evil is remedied, public spirit will 
revive, and Civilization will go on prosperously. 

We shall conclude with some remarks on the slave question, in 
which England as well as America is interested. The nations which 
still hold slaves are the following : — 

The United States have ... 4,000,000 slaves. 

Brazil 3,000,000 „ 

Cuba 1,000,000 „ 

Dr. Mc'Clintock, in a speech at the anniversary of American Inde- 
pendance, held in London, the other day, says : — 

" They had 20,000,000 of people on one side, and 8,000,000 on the 
other. A great man had said, ' a single man, with God on his side, was 
a majority against the world.' They were 20,000,000 with God on 
their side, fighting for the constitution, for freedom, and for justice." 

These words from a minister of the Gospel when he knows that his 
countrymen are not sincere in their professions of liberty to the African, 
are something astounding. The insincerity of the North is proved 
beyond doubt by what is going on in Virginia. Numbers of the slaves 
have deserted their owners, and taken refuge in the camp of the North, 
now in Virginia. Instead of at once emancipating these slaves, the 
Washington government has received them as so many goods and 
chattels, and reserve them in bondage, to be delivered up to their 
owners when peace is declared. While the South is honest in a wrong 
thing, the North is dishonest in a right thing. 

No longer will Europe listen to the excuse so often made, that the 
Free States have no power to liberate the slaves, for now that they have 
the power they refuse to free them. How can the North hope to retain 
the respect of Europe when she professes one thing and does another? 
How can Dr. Mc'Clintock say that God is on the side of the North, 
when the North thus acts the hypocrite ? No ! his countrymen must 
first act up to their professions, before they can be accepted by Him to 
whom they appeal. 

Until slavery is abolished the slave trade must continue, and it sur- 
prises us beyond measure that Wilberforce and Brougham, who so nobly 
procured the abolition of the slave* trade, should not have gone to the 
root of the evil, by abolishing slavery itself. What these reformers 
feared to touch, is now to be swept away by the hand of dire necessity, 
and we shall see what a mass of blood and treasure it will cost the 
world to do it. Neither President Lincoln nor President Davis can 
stop the march of emancipation now, and we trust the people will 
consider this, and set themselves right with Europe by encouraging 
the great work of emancipation. Let America take the initiative, and 
Cuba and Brazil will follow, and the traffic in human flesh will forthwith 
come to an end. 



100 PUBLIC OPINION 



CHAPTER II. 



PUBLIC OPINION REDUCED TO PRINCIPLES. 

" The faith of the nation is by no means a perfect thing. Its practical 
basis is habit and custom, more than reason. It is apt to be more loud 
and clamorous than it has any right to be ; it assumes its own earnest- 
ness to be much greater than it is ; it likes controversy, quarrelling, and 
disputing ; it is wanting in fairness, it will not listen, it will speak, and 
not always decorously ; it is abusive, it imputes motives, it calls names/' 
— Times, July, 1861. 

Such is a pretty accurate report of the Religion and Public Opinion 
of England, and if we could describe the erroneous action, in politics as 
well as in religion, which that unsatisfactory state of things produces, 
we should indicate the precise cause of all the evils which afflict society. 
It is, however, neither possible nor desirable that we should go into these 
particulars. It is enough if we can show how this chaotic state of 
Public Opinion can be reduced to principles, for then the evils arising 
from chaos and disorder in the public mind will, for the most part, dis- 
appear. It has all along been said that, sooner or later, the world must 
come to principles, and we hope we do not take an over sanguine view 
of the future, when we say that that time has now come. 

The reader will now have an opportunity of interrogating us on our 
principles. Nothing can bring peace, either at home or abroad, but the 
triumph of principles, for such is the only remedy for erroneous thinking 
and acting. Much evil and misery exists in the world, and to reduce 
that, we must go back to its cause, for nothing is to be done by attacking 
evil itself. It will be our object, therefore, to attack the causes of evil, 
not evil itself. By treating of principles, and these alone, we hope to 
produce a Science of Morals which will be able successfully to contend 
with evil and misery in all their endless variety of forms. 

It is usual to hear writers take credit to themselves for avoiding 
Religion and Politics in their books ; now that which others pass over, 
we shall boldly grapple with, for that is the only way of improving the 
world, and expelling evil from it. What are Religion and Politics but 
the causes of action, and unless we can improve these, we can do 
nothing. 

If the answers which we are now to offer are found to be good and 
true, they will be like pure water in a dry and thirsty land ; and if they 
are false, they will still be useful, for they will force the reader to think, 
and to discover truth to refute them. In any case, therefore, we promise 



REDUCED TO PRINCIPLES. 101 

that the reader will not spend his valuable time in vain over these 
pages. Let us begin. 

1. What is God? — God is a Spirit, perfect in Goodness, Justice, 
and Truth. The perfection of God in all His attributes is a necessary- 
truth, and that is the proper test of all the doctrines of Theology. 

2. What is the nature of God ? — Prior to creation there would be 
no worlds, no gravitation, no motion, nothing but God and space, His 
essential attribute, would exist. The elements of matter being latent in 
space, all that was wanted to produce creation was the will and act of 
God. God possesses a double nature : the one nature being material, 
filling all space ; and the other spiritual, animating and governing the 
material nature. Now if the one nature acts on the other, we at once 
discover a power adequate, not only to call nature into being, but to 
sustain and govern it ever after. Intelligence being found in man, that 
faculty, only in an infinitely greater degree, must be ascribed to the 
Creator. It is therefore not a speculation to infer that there must be 
an intellectual nature as well as a material nature, in the Divine 
existence. 

3. Is God all-powerful ? — All things which are not contrary to God's 
own nature are possible with Him. It is this necessary limitation which 
gives rise to evil. 

4. Is Reason God ? — Certainly not. Reason is a principle, devoid 
of personality, and although it partakes of the Divine nature in a pre- 
eminent degree, it is not God himself. 

5. Where is the proof that God is a person and not a principle ? — 
The world abounds with the evidence of purpose, and that involves 
intelligence, foresight, and will, as well as power. We therefore con- 
clude that our Maker is a Personal Being, and not a mere principle, as 
the sceptics say. 

6. Your reply does not quite satisfy me. — We shall give you another. 
The omnipresence of God is the proof that God is not a mere principle, 
for where a substance is there is more than a principle. — See "Phi- 
losophy of Civilization," ch. 1 and 2. 

7. Has the promised time come when all are to know the Lord ? — 
The new reformation of religion will certainly go far to accomplish the 
fulfilment of that sublime prophecy. The Church will now be placed 
on a basis to admit of progress, which is not the case at present, and 
that opens up a field of knowledge, as yet scarcely entered on, which 
will in time produce the fulfilment of the prophecy. 

8. What practical effect will the discovery of God to perfection have 
on Religion, and on the destiny of the human race? — All theology 
depends on our knowledge and conceptions of God, and as our know- 
ledge of God advances, so will our well-being advance. Darkness and 
Delusion being the great causes of evil, it follows that evil will decline 
as the knowledge of God and His works advances, showing how 
extremely important is the discovery of God. 

9. What is the method of the Divine Government ? — God governs 
the world, not by direct acts, but by indirect action through the medium 
of nature. Nature being the creation of God, every natural result may 
be said to be the indirect act of God. 



102 PUBLIC OPINION 

10. What is a Miracle ? — All special acts of God out of the course 
of nature are miracles, whether these acts affect external nature or the 
inner man. Miracles are therefore of two kinds, spiritual and material, 
and the miracles of the bible are of both descriptions. 

11. You believe in Scripture miracles, but not in modern miracles ; 
but where is the proof of the former ? — There is no other proof beyond 
the records of the bible, and these are well authenticated documents. 

12. Have there been no miracles, either external or internal, since 
the canon of Scripture was closed ? — We have no evidence of any such, 
and as miracles are an exception to a general rule, we are bound to 
reject belief in modern miracles without sufficient evidence. 

13. The "Essays and Reviews" deny miracles — what is the diffe- 
rence between that movement and yours? — The "Essays and Reviews" 
deny scripture miracles and accept modern miracles. Our movement 
is the opposite — for, while we accept scripture miracles, we deny modern 
miracles. 

14. What is Man?— Man consists of two natures — a normal and a 
progressive nature. The first we call nature, the last civilization. Be- 
fore the spirit of truth begins to operate, man is all nature, and when 
principle enters, he is a combination of Nature and Civilization. 

15. Then God creates man devoid of Reason, and afterwards allows 
him to gather that principle (aided by revelation) out of his ex- 
perience ? — Exactly so. Man is born in the want of original righteous- 
ness. 

16. What is the cause of Evil? — All unavoidable evil may be traced 
to one original source, viz : the impossibility of God doing anything 
contrary to his own nature. God cannot make two and two to be 
five, — he cannot do two things which are contrary, and so forth. These 
are impossible alike to God and Man. For instance, it is impossible for 
God to make the wind blow east and west at the same time and in the 
same area of space. 

17. Then God could not give Righteousness originally to Man? — We 
are not prepared to say that, but this we do say, that God could not 
create original intelligence consistently with his purpose of creating 
intelligences out of the experience of the world. 

18. Is not Man a fallen creature? — The history of Man is this: 
after many ups and downs, he has made progress in civilization from 
the low condition in which was at first created. There is no evidence 
either in history or in nature of any fall. 

19. But how do you account for the barrenness of external nature ? 
— Unless nature had required the work of Man's hands, Man could not 
have made progress in knowledge and civilization. 

20. But do we not read of a Fall in the book of Genesis? — That is 
merely an allegory to teach us that originally 'Man was devoid of 
righteousness, and that it was his de'stiny to rise above that primitive 
condition. 

21. But where is the proof that the account of the Fall is an allegory, 
and not the account of an actual Fall ? — The test of God's Perfection 
in Goodness and Power is the proof. If we take the account of the 
Fall in its literal sense, we rob God of his attributes of Goodness and 



REDUCED TO PRINCIPLES. 103 

Power,— for in allowing Satan to ruin Man, and in cursing Man for 
Satan's work, neither Goodness nor Power can be ascribed to God. 

22. But what injury can it do to believe in an actual Fall ? It is 
pleasant to think that God or the Devil is accountable for the faults of 
Man, and why then seek to change that belief? — The injury is simply 
..this — that belief in Original Sin takes away all belief in Man's capacity 
for self-improvement. Original Sin says that Man is incapable of doing 
anything good — a statement which is opposed to fact, for we know from 
experience and history that Man is actually capable of improvement. To 
believe in Original Sin, is the essence of scepticism, for it is disbelief in 
Man's capacity. 

23. Your doctrine tends to raise Man in self-esteem, but I would 
rather keep him down. — You wish to keep Man down, thinking thereby 
to gratify your own self-love. If that is not the motive, I cannot dis- 
cover the reason why you should wish to deprive Man of that which 
actually belongs to him. It is not humility, but pride which dictates 
such feelings. 

24. Why do the clergy persist in the doctrine of Original Sin, when 
it is opposed to belief in a perfect God. — Original Sin is a convenient 
doctrine by which any possible error may be excused and supported. 

25. You believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are only 
one God manifested in different aspects. — Yes. To believe in three 
separate persons, is to believe in a plurality of Gods, which is a return 
to Heathenism. 

26. Why does the Church hold the contradictory doctrine of three 
separate persons in one God? — All the erroneous doctrines of Religion 
receive support from the idea of God being one, and at the same time 
three, which is an absolute impossibility alike to God and man. 

27. There is a wide difference between your doctrine of Natural 
Grace and the Church doctrine of Miraculous Grace, and I should like 
to know who is to decide between you. — The Church holds that 
Miracles have ceased since the time of the Apostles, consequently we 
must reject the idea of miraculous grace, for if miracles have ceased, 
of course there can be no Miraculous Grace. 

28. Your conclusion is perfectly logical, and I begin to see my 
way through the controversy. To restore belief in miracles still going 
on is quite out of the question, for that is opposed to all experience. — 
Do not misunderstand us. Our doctrine stated correctly is this. " While 
the Gospel is miraculous in its origin, its effect on the soul is natural" 

29. I understand you perfectly. The Gospel is of miraculous 
origin, and its effect on the soul is natural. Nothing can be more 
scriptural or more satisfactory to all who wish to know the truth. — 
You have now accepted the great doctrine of the New Reformation. 

30. Then the Doctrines of Original Sin and Miraculous Grace, are 
the chief doctrines to which you object. — They are; and until these 
doctrines are given up there can be no progress in morals or religion, 
nor can there be any reduction of sin and misery in the world. 

31. You say that Man is a responsible Being. Can you define the 
limits of that responsibility ? — Yes. The thoughts, words, and actions 
come from Man, and for these he is responsible. 



104 PUBLIC OPINION 

32. That is a sweeping statement. How do you know that God 
does not influence the thoughts and acts of man ? — We can only say 
that if God interfered with our thoughts and actions, Man would not 
be a responsible being, for in that case, the acts of Man would in 
reality be the acts of God. 

33. I have been accustomed to believe that God gives me my good 
thoughts and the Devil my bad thoughts. — That is a primitive idea 
which only proves that you have not considered the subject. If God 
and the Devil dictate your thoughts and actions, you are a mere machine. 

34. Has man a Free Will ? — Naturally man has no Free Will, for 
in a state of nature he is the slave of his feelings and the sport of 
circumstances. The moment reason begins to operate, a Free- Will 
begins. 

35. That is a new doctrine, and I should like you to explain it. — 
Let the reader try " to give in," on a point of dispute, when he sees he 
is wrong. The moment he can do that he will be a free man — and 
one more Free Will will be added to the world. — See "Philosophy of 
Civilization." Chap. 12. 

36. But what do you make of Predestination. — Every man is born 
a Predestinarian. It is only with the advance of intelligence within, 
that man begins to discover that he is capable of choosing and willing, 
independent of all causes. 

37. Is Man good or bad naturally ? — As a means to an end, Man is 
good. He is created capable of rising to a degree of perfection which 
is beyond the power of the mind to conceive ; and, that being so, we 
are entitled to say that he is created good. Because land in a state of 
nature, or badly farmed, brings forth weeds, you would not say that the 
land is bad, but only that it wants culture. The want of proper culture 
is the reason why Man has not yet arrived at his destined state of 
perfection. 

38. Your recognition of the great principles of Free Will and 
Responsibility gives a much larger range to Religion than was ever 
contemplated by Luther or Calvin. — Yes, the object of the New Refor- 
mation is to elevate and enlarge Religion, and in so doing we shall raise 
man's position and enlarge his soul. Man is the heir of eternity, and 
our desire is to see him take a position worthy of his high calling. 

39. Will not raising Man have the practical effect of lowering God? 
— No. By raising Man we shall exalt God, and glorify our Maker. 

40. But if God does not interfere with the thoughts and acts of 
Man, where are we to look for the acts of God? — 1st. — In the wonderful 
upholding of the whole system of nature in undiminished vigour and 
beauty. 2nd. — In the gift of the appointed fruits of our hands whether 
in the garden of the soul or in the field of the husbandman, for there 
we witness the finger of God continually at work. We must look 
without, and not within, if we wish to discover the hand of God. 

41. Is Religion progressive as well as everything else? — Certainly. 
The Bible does not change, but the capacity of Man to understand it 
does change, — it therefore follows, that Religion, both natural and 
revealed, is progressive. 

42. Is History progressive? — Yes. The events of History do not 



REDUCED TO PRINCIPLES. 105 

change, but Man's capacity to interpret these events does change, show- 
ing that History, like Theology, is a progressive science. 

43. The Religion of the New Reformation is pre-eminently a Reli- 
gion of Belief? — Yes. The Church as it now stands is a Sceptical 
Church, because it ignores Man's capacity. All ages of improvement 
have been ages of Belief, and we trust Belief will speedily become the 
characteristic of the extraordinary age in which we live. 

44. What is a Religious reformation ? — That is only another word 
for Christianity. Christianity means regeneration, or being born again, 
and that is reformation. Christ is the means, Reformation the end. 
To deny the possibility of a Reformation is to deny Christ and his work, 
and to go back to the beggarly elements of scepticism. 

We shall now pause for a moment to give time for reflection. To 
those who confine their reading to the Bible, or to one particular class 
of books, the principles we have arrived at will appear novel ; but to 
those who read all sides of a question, it will be otherwise; and we trust 
our readers will weigh and consider each question on its own merits, 
and not reject anything merely because it appears new to them. Dr. 
Arnold says, " He who reads deeply in one class of books, only gets 
views which are almost sure to be perverted. If I have a confident 
opinion on any one thing in connection with the human mind, it is on 
this." The order of progress of all minds is this. We begin with the 
knowledge of isolated facts, which is the state of childhood. The first 
step towards manhood is to put two and two together, and in this way 
we go on, connecting one thing with another until all knowledge is gene- 
ralized. The mind is now furnished and filled up — the character is 
formed. 

It is generally imagined that men like novelty, but never was a 
greater mistake. The mind is naturally indolent, and does not like to 
be disturbed by anything new which requires thinking, and that is 
doubtless the reason why men dislike anything which is really new. 
This is one of the greatest barriers we know to the progress of truth, 
and we mention it that our readers may be prepared against the tendency 
of the mind to object to truths merely because they are new. A thing 
may be true, whether it be new or old, and we ask our readers to judge 
of every statement on its own merits, and without reference to any 
other consideration whatever. 

It is well known that it is useless to quote texts of scripture in 
support of any opinion, for these may be selected to support almost any 
possible opinion. It is in consequence of this that we have studiously 
avoided the use of texts; and if the reader wishes to overcome error 
and prejudice in his own mind, he must not trouble himself with texts 
of scripture until he has first learned how to select them. We must 
first compare the books of the Bible w T ith each other, and ascertain what 
the Gospel message is, and having done that, we may then use the Bible 
without the certainty of perverting it. The present chapter ought to 
be a good preparation to the study of the Bible, from its bringing under 
review many principles which are essential to the right understanding 
of scripture, which would not otherwise occur to the mind. 

To select texts in an arbitrary manner, and not upon principle, is 

B 



106 PUBLIC OPINION 

certain to produce a contradictory creed, and that is the cause why 
the creeds of all the Churches are more or less contradictory. We 
must use our reasoning powers in discovering the truth of the Bible, as 
well as the truth of science. 

45. Having discussed the theology of the new reformation, I am 
anxious to know something of its political creed. To open this 
matter, I ask what is the object of Government? — The great object of 
all governments is, or ought to be, the production of Good, and 
the reduction of Evil. 

46. Where is your authority for assigning so wide a range of 
operations to Government? — Political economy we are happy to say 
does not depend on authority. The experience of the wants of man 
is the best of all authorities, and to that we appeal. 

47. Then an enlightened Government is bound to see to the 
instruction of the people as well as to their material wants? — Yes; to 
attend to the one and neglect the other, is like making bricks without 
straw. 

48. There can be no doubt you are right. There must be a 
National Church and a National School, the one to instruct adults, 
and the other children, if there is to be any liberty and good govern- 
ment. — Yes, every nation stands in need of religious and educational 
institutions quite as much as houses of parliament and courts of justice. 
To attempt to govern a people who are not under the influence of truth 
and principle, or who are under the power of ignorance and delusion, 
except by brute force, is utterly futile. 

49. How do evils in a state like England or America show them- 
selves ? — Revolutions, Civil Wars, Commercial Distress, and Monetary 
Panics are the outbreaks of the accumulated evils of modern times. 

50. Why do you prefer the Monarchical form of government to the 
Republican form ? — Simply because republics have been tried in all 
ages, and have always failed, while kingdoms have generally succeeded. 

51. Can you explain the Italian affair? — Cavour's idea was to unite 
all Italy under one government, and Napoleon went to Italy to help 
the Count to carry out his idea; but our idea is something much greater. 
Cavour's idea is nothing without our idea superadded ; for the Church 
must be reformed as well as the state. The Reformation of Queen 
Elizabeth left the Church unreformed, and the result was the wars of 
the Stuarts which desolated England for 150 years. And so it will 
be with Italy if they allow despotism to reign in the Church, and 
liberty in the State. These conflicting elements are certain to produce 
civil war and revolution. 

52. Why has the idea of a National Church been so little acted on in 
the world ? — Simply because of the difficulties of finding a standard 
of belief on which to base it. 

53. Do you think the New Articles of Belief published by the 
Reformation Society, a standard which will be generally acceptable ? — 
We do ; and it is with the object of explaining that standard that we 
have treated so largely of Theology in these Essays. 

54. I grant that if every man was endowed with the faculty of 
knowing truth, that it would be easy to reform the world and expel 



REDUCED TO PRINCIPLES. 107 

evil from it. — Essay No. 2 goes into that question very fully, and 
demonstrates that man actually possesses that faculty. " The soul is 
the perceiver and revealer of truth, let sceptics and scoffers say what 
they please." To ask what truth is, is like a man who asks what a 
principle is. It is sufficient to know and acknowledge its existence, 
and feel its effects on our thoughts and actions. 

55. Explain the difference between a Revolution and a Reformation 
— A Revolution is the upturning of all things, and a Reformation is the 
re-formation of the elements of civilization into a new and better 
order of things. 

56. Can there not be a Reformation without a Revolution ? — History 
rarely furnishes examples of such. The Reform Bill of 1832, which 
was carried without a Revolution, is an instance. People naturally 
dislike all real reforms, and it is not until necessity presses hard, that 
they will consent to sacrifice their prejudices and customs on the altar 
of truth and the public good. 

57. Must England pass through the agonies of a revolution before 
she can have a reformation? — We hope not. The experience of 1832 
and 1846 show that England had strength sufficient to effect great 
reforms without the impulse of a revolution. 

58. Would not a legalized^ Code of Articles take away that liberty 
which you intend to give? — No. The right of Private Judgment 
will be distinctly recognized by the new Articles, and that being so, 
the interests of all parties will be protected. 

59. You think you have only to propose the right thing, and all 
will accept it. — Yes ; we believe in man's capacity to accept truth when 
it is fairly placed before him. Without faith in man's capacity we 
could do nothing, but with that faith we can remove mountains of 
difficulties. 

60. Where do you get all this faith in Man ? — It is by looking below 
the surface of things, and applying the proper remedy to the actual 
disease. By treating of the causes of evil, and not of evil itself, we 
may be said to penetrate below the surface. 

61. You teach men to reform their opinions, in the hope they 
will conform their actions to their new opinions. — Yes ; give a man 
right ideas, and he will go right. All experience proves this, for prac- 
tice, for the most part, follows precept. Belief produces motive, and 
motive produces action, consequently action is good or bad, as belief 
is the one or the other. Precept and practice stand in the relation of 
cause and effect. 

Should we be told the effect of these discussions must produce a 
revolution on the Mind, and that a mental revolution is the forerunner 
of a political revolution, we answer, that a revolution in the right 
direction is peace. The experience we have had of the present 
movement proves this beyond all question. Not one answer has 
appeared to any of these Essays. What is still more encouraging 
not one journal has applied names to us, which is a new feature in 
religious controversy. We have no wish to boast, but we should be 
ungrateful indeed, if we did not take this opportunity of making our 
acknowledgments. 

b 2 



108 PUBLIC OPINION. 

The great difficulty we have to contend with, is indifference. All 
belief in good seems to be fairly rooted out of the mind, and until we 
actually force men to read, it is impossible to get them to take any 
interest in the reformation, for they have no belief in its possibility. 
Everything is sacrificed to private interest, and when the public interest 
is spoken of, it produces no response until men are induced to consider 
the subject. We have been taught from childhood to disbelieve in a 
reformation, and it is a lesson we have learned most thoroughly. Indif- 
ference and want of belief are no doubt great trials to all reformers, but 
patience and perseverance will overcome every difficulty. 

Not many years ago it was said that England and Scotland could 
never be connected by rail owing to the mountains which intervened, 
but now we have three or four lines of communication. The same has 
been said of a Reformation. Mountains have been raised above moun- 
tains to stop the way, but at last all these mountains have been de- 
molished, and the road is open. What remains is to go in and possess 
the land. 

Macaulay complains that the ancients never examined the foundations 
of their knowledge, and for that reason they could make no progress 
beyond a certain point, and lost all. The moderns have committed 
the same error, for until now, the foundations of our knowledge have 
never been examined. We have only been working on the surface, 
and for that reason we have made no progress. Physical science makes 
progress, but what is that, without a corresponding advance in moral 
science. The one progress, without the other, only increases the 
schism in the body politic, and instead of removing evil, it encreases 
it. If moral science is now reformed all things will combine to 
regenerate and perfect the world. The ancients were not reformers, 
and for that reason civilization perished; but, if we become reformers, 
civilization shall live and prosper. 

The search after truth is finished, and in looking back on the 
numerous new opinions proposed, let us ask what is the prominent 
feature which overtops every thing else. It is the idea of a National 
Church. A national church based on true principles is the panacea 
for modern civilization. That is our "idea," and if the nations adopt 
it, they will find in it the sure and certain remedy for the evils of 
anarchy, oppression, and despotism under which they groan. Those 
who would cure evil, by using a less effectual remedy will only be 
disappointed. They may in that way, remove one evil by taking in 
another, but that is not a cure, for until the causes of evil are removed, 
evil remains. 

We have now completed our design of reducing Public Opinion to 
true and well defined principles. If we are asked why our writings 
partake so much of the theological character, we answer that all princi- 
ples are necessarily theological. They who treat of politics apart from 
principle only skim the surface of things. On entering on his great 
work of the first Reformation, Luther posted his sixty-four thesis on the 
church doors of Wittengen, and in giving forth the thesis of the second 
reformation, we trust the cause of truth may have free course and 
govern the world. 



THE KINGDOM OF ITALY. 109 



CHAPTER III. 



THE KINGDOM OF ITALY. 



Mazzini held Rome for three months in 1848, and what was the result 
but the restoration of the Pope ? Was the reason of this unfortunate 
issue the act of the French in taking possession of the city of Rome, 
or the act of Mazzini, in refusing to reform the Church ? We say it 
was the fault of Mazzini, and not the fault of the French. Mazzini con- 
tented himself with expelling the Jesuits, and opening the Inquisition 
buildings to public inspection, and left the Papal system unreformed and 
unchanged. If a single honest reformer had been there to have fore- 
told what would be the result of this short-sighted policy, Italy would 
have been freed twelve years ago. 

Mazzini lost one of the finest opportunities that ever was placed at 
the feet of mortal man, to deliver the world from the tyranny of the 
priesthood, but allowed the golden opportunity to pass unimproved. 
He had only to proclaim a Reformation, and all Rome would have 
flocked to him, as to a father, and a deliverer out of worse than Egyptian 
bondage. We say "worse," for in primitive times nothing half so 
debasing as the Confessional had been invented. 

Although Mazzini is sincere, he is crotchety, and will not look at 
more than one side of a question. All that can be done, he cannot be 
made to see that without a Religious reformation a Political reformation 
is impossible ; and because he could not turn his mind to the whole 
question, he lost all. He acknowledged that the great curse of Italy 
was the priests, and yet he refused to reform the Church. Was there 
ever such folly in a man who professes to think and to write for the use 
of others ? Italy must look to men of a different stamp if she intends 
to be a nation. 

Such was the unfortunate issue of the Revolution of 1848; and we 
shall now proceed to show and to prove that Ricasoli and Garibaldi are 
committing the very same error as Mazzini, and that unless they adopt 
a complete change of policy, the issue of the Revolution of 1860 will 
be similar to that of 1848. 

Nothing has surprised us more than the speeches of the late Cavour 
and of his successor, Baron Ricasoli — who, instead of opposing the 
Papal power, profess to support that power. Can anything be more 
inconsistent and more suicidal. They (the Italians) take away the pos- 
sessions of the Pope, and yet they profess friendship to him. That is 



110 THE KINGDOM OF ITALY. 

the way to stultify their own proceedings, and bring disgrace on the 
cause. And before that cause can be supported as it ought to be, the 
policy of Turin, as respects the Church, must be reversed. We have 
prepared a scheme of Church Reform for Italy (see page 80), which 
every friend of liberty said would be received with open arms by 
Cavour, but as yet our proposal has received no support from the Go- 
vernment of Turin. The choice lies between the Bourbons and the 
Pope on the one hand, and a Reformation on the other; and if the 
Italians refuse the latter, they must accept the former, as the necessary 
result of their inconsistent and blind policy. 

When we last wrote, reformation was going on favourably, but now 
stagnation and reaction begin. The statesmen of Turin do not seem to 
have a clear conception of the real cause of their difficulties, accordingly 
they do not apply the remedy to the actual disease, for when they 
ought to be reforming the Church, they content themselves with reforms 
of the State. But there is a revenge for all this lenity. 

We must explain that we do not ask the Italians to become Protes- 
tants, but only to reform the Catholic Church, for until that is done 
Italy cannot be united, or become a nation. Nothing but avowed 
opposition to the Papal system can justify Victor Emanuel in seizing 
the States of the Church. If it is right to take the temporal crown of 
the Pope, it is wrong to leave the spiritual crown, and it will not be 
until Italy throws off the papal dominion, that the King of Italy will be 
able to justify his acts in the court of Public Opinion. 

We are not surprised that Napoleon has all along felt a difficulty in 
recognising the new Kingdom of Italy, and that he has only done so 
now in very measured terms — a coolness which no doubt arises from the 
shallowness of the ground taken up by the Cabinet of Turin. If Italy 
means to keep the Pope as her Spiritual King — if the priests are to rule 
the Italians as in times past — we must bid adieu to Italian patriotism, 
and cease to interest ourselves in their affairs. But if Italy will say 
she is resolved to reform the Church, and redress every acknowledged 
wrong, she may rely on the hearty support of the English and the 
French people. 

If Italy retains the Pope, France and Austria must keep the Pope 
likewise ; but if she throws off the Pope, then a National Church in 
France and Austria is not only possible, but certain to be established. 
Let Baron Ricasoli hesitate between two opinions, and he will soon have 
nothing on which to deliberate — but let him act in conformity with the 
dictates of principle and true statesmanship, and he shall liberate all 
Europe from a tyranny which has held her down for ten centuries. 

The following letter is from the Times Correspondent at Turin. 

" Truly it would puzzle a keener man than the keenest Italian citizen 
or statesman to make out the reasons which advise the Emperor to tarry 
at Rome. He alleges the strong Catholic feeling in France, and the 
exhibition of it in the two houses of the French Parliament. But he 
has the assurance of the whole French press, except the Monde and 
Union, and the declaration of the most respectable part of the Catholic 
people, that nothing could be more beneficial than to free the Church, 
and build her on the rock of spontaneous persuasion which alone would 



THE KINGDOM OF ITALY. Ill 

give it an unbounded moral ascendancy. Take the sovereign papacy 
from the Church, and you have a Reformed Catholicism." — July 6. 

The writer of this letter is puzzled to know why Napoleon keeps his 
troops at Rome; and we shall tell him the reason. The Cabinet of Turin, 
instead of overthrowing the Pope's authority as universal priest, 
professes to uphold it. That fatal course retains the French troops 
at Rome. The only solution of the difficulty is, for the Govern- 
ment of Turin to plant the standard of Church Reform in every 
town in Italy, and then the Emperor will have no difficulty in with- 
drawing his troops. In that case, the French intervention will no 
longer be wanted to support a power which has fallen. If a motion 
in the Parliament of Turin was made for calling a Council of the 
Nation, to consider the question of reconstructing the Church upon a 
basis in harmony with the new constitution of the state, the initiative 
would be taken in a movement which would bring about a final settle- 
ment. There is a remedy for every evil, and we hope we have now 
shown how the knot of Italian difficulty may be cut with the consent 
of all parties. 

One would certainly think that the day for the restoration of lost 
dynasties had passed away, especially when we remember that Russia 
and Austria have been humbled in the late wars, and rendered for the 
time powerless, owing to internal dissension. But so far from that being 
the case, we have no hesitation in saying, that the King of Naples, the 
Duke of Tuscany, and the Pope, will be restored to their thrones ere 
long, if in the meantime the spiritual power of the Pope over Italy and 
Europe is not destroyed. John Knox wisely said, " Take away the 
nests, and the rooks will return no more ; " but if the Italian people 
will not follow this advice now that they have the power, they must not 
be surprised to see a re-action set in, which will re-instate all the 
deposed sovereigns. 

The Cabinet of Turin fears to touch the Church, and would rather that 
the Emperor of the French did the work, and leave Italy to reap the 
fruits! Now France cannot move in this matter, — for it is only 
in times of revolution that such great changes could be brought about. 
There is, however, no reason why Italy, which is passing through a 
revolution, should not reform the Church. Napoleon cannot take the 
initiative, but will be ready to follow up whatever Italy may do in the 
direction of liberty and peace. The Italians have their destiny in their 
own hands, and they will only have themselves to blame if, through 
their own blindness and supineness, they allow re-action to overtake 
them. 

The Italians want some aggressive movement to unite them, and that 
movement must be Church Reform, and not a military attack on the 
dominions of Austria in Venice, as has been proposed. By attacking 
Austria, the Italians risk their all in the issue of a battle ; but by 
reforming the Church, they will enlist all the liberals of Europe on 
their side — a support which cannot fail to ensure success. Let the 
sword return to its scabbard, and let a Council of the Church be called 
to unite all parties in the cause of Church Reform. 

We have now shown the straight road to Peace and Liberty, and the 



112 AUSTRIA, RUSSIA, AND PRUSSIA. 

perils which surround any departure from it. Having done that, we 
must leave the matter in the hands of the Italian Government, for we 
can do no more. If Garibaldi and Ricasoli attack Austria instead of 
the papacy, we shall despair of their cause, and, in the name of Europe, 
we protest against so suicidal a course — for they who take to the sword 
without a good reason shall perish by the sworcL 

Let it not be said that the Cabinet of Turin fears the Priests, for 
surely their opposition is not so formidable as the 400,000 troops of 
the Austrian Empire. The Priests are already plotting againt the 
Italian Government to the utmost of their power — of which the distur- 
bances in Central and Southern Italy are the proof, — so that the open 
opposition of Turin to the Papal Government will not provoke more 
opposition than that which they already experience. 

Let Italy remember that it is not by refusing reform, but by submit- 
ting to reform, that a nation can be regenerated; and if liberty, and not 
military glory and national aggrandisement, is the object, Italy will 
confine her efforts to self-reform, and remain at peace with Austria. 

Italy will likewise commit a grievous error if she trusts to France to 
carry her through her difficulties, for France can do nothing if Italy 
will not act for herself. No; let Italy depend on herself — let her 
boldly strike off the shackles of the Popedom, and she will want 
no assistance from any one. Should she, however, prefer indolence, 
and allow things to take their course, her fate is sealed — she will return 
to her former state of bondage and dis-union, with no man to sympathize 
with her in her sorrows. We have not feared to tell the whole truth — 
for nothing but the triumph of principles can save Italy; and history 
shall be our judge whether we have said one word which is not justified 
by the facts on which we have based these conclusions. 



CHAPTER IV. 



AUSTRIA, RUSSIA, AND PRUSSIA. 

Austria is ripe for a revolution. Unless the Emperor meets the 
present emergency by granting the necessary reforms, nothing can 
save the empire from going to pieces. Hungary will form a separate 
kingdom; Venice will join Italy; Gallicia will declare itself indepen- 
dant; and Austria and Bohemia will become a second-rate German 
power. The aristocratic feeling is strong in Austria, while the demo- 
cratic feeling is equally strong in Hungary. In these circumstances, 
the impending separation of Hungary from Austria seems to be de- 
sirable, — for countries so opposite in nationality and character, cannot 
be expected to go on harmoniously. 



AUSTRIA, RUSSIA, AND PRUSSIA. 113 

Religious questions present the great barrier to Reform in Austria 
and Hungary, so that the Church question is the first which must be 
met. Let a National Church, independant of Rome, be established for 
Austria, and another Church for Hungary, on a basis suitable to the 
feelings of each country, and the Emperor may hope for a better 
future. For the Emperor to think of pleasing the Court of Rome, and 
at the same time the patriots of Pesth, is quite out of the question. He 
must either throw over the Pope or the Hungarian party; and if he 
wishes to retain his power and influence with the people, he must take 
their part, and not consult the wishes of a priesthood, whose interests 
are all opposed to the interests of the people. 

Russia is inhabited by a people only partially civilized, but capable 
of making rapid progress. The Emperor Nicholas promised to liberate 
the slaves, which number over twenty millions; but before he was able 
to bring his benevolent purpose to maturity, he was cut of by the hand 
of death — hastened by the failure of his ambitious designs on Turkey. 
The present Emperor, Alexander II, on his accession, pledged himself 
to carry out his father's design; and by a Proclamation which appeared 
in March last, the whole serf population of the Muscovite empire was 
liberated. 

The object of any slave-holding Government is to keep the people in 
ignorance — and such has hitherto been the policy of Russia; and it is 
in consequence of this policy that the disturbances have taken place. 
In almost every Government of Russia the serfs refuse to work, — 
they say we are now free, and have become landowners, and will work 
no more. The consequence is, that the fields are in many places left 
untilled — the authorities have interfered, and hundreds have been shot. 
The fault was in not preparing the minds of the people for freedom 
before they were actually freed. While these disturbances are going on, 
trade is paralyzed, and a money crisis has ensued, which will seriously 
affect the resources of the Government. 

In 1848, when the Hungarians were about to achieve their indepen- 
dance, Russia sent 160,000 troops to aid Austria to put down the 
rebellion — an interference which was a distinct breach of the law of 
non-intervention. That false step, however, Russia will not repeat — 
for she has now neither the wish nor the power to interfere. 

Poland is the weak side of Russia, and the sooner Russia gets rid of 
a nation so different in language and religion the better. Were she 
fairly free from Poland, she would have a united kingdom to deal with; 
and with a free population, she might go on prosperously until she 
would rival in power any of the nations of Europe. Russia's aim has 
hitherto been to add to her possessions: but if she will now turn her 
attention to the improvement of what she has, as she appears to be 
doing, she will command the respect and admiration of Europe. 

The religion of Russia is the Greek Church — a Church which is 
even less advanced than the Catholic Church. The following descrip- 
tion of the Russian Church is from the Times Correspondent at 
Moscow : — 

" There has never, until quite lately, been any progress of -thought 



114 AUSTRIA, 

in the Greek Church, for the character of its theology is essentially 
unlogical. There has never, till the most recent times, been progress, 
owing to the character of their religion. Their Reformation was not a 
reformation of doctrine, but the alteration of a few petty details of 
ritual — the shape of a cap, the number of fingers to be used in bene- 
diction, the tunes of their church music. Their very dissenters dissent, 
not out of desire for change, but from abhorrence of it. Not truth, 
but orthodoxy, is their watchword. One outward sign, at once of their 
childish simplicity and of their fondness for antiquity, is their intense 
devotion to pictures, not as works of art, but as a sort of " fetish/' We 
know how in the Russian war, every Russian prisoner that was taken, 
every Russian corpse that was stripped, had an amulet in the shape of 
a holy picture." 

The Greek Church, which represents the religion of sixty millions of 
people altogether, begins to show signs of new life. In Wallaehia and 
Bulgaria this movement is very evident, and but for the want of a free 
press in Russia, we should probably hear of similar movements in many 
parts of Russia. Before a Free Press is given to Russia something 
ought to be done to purify the Creed of the Greek Church, and as a first 
step to that most necessary element of Civilization, a reformation of 
doctrines must be carried. This could easily be done by the calling of 
a Council of the Clergy by the Emperor, who is head of the Church. 
When the Church is reformed, then the question of a Free Press and a 
Parliament will follow as a matter of course. 

Prussia is the head of the Protestant interests of Continental Europe, 
but alas ! she is far behind the age. The Government fears the Repub- 
licans, and in order to keep them in check, she discourages progress as 
much as possible. 

The way to damage the cause of the Democrats, is not to refuse 
reforms, but to grant them, for it is the abuses in Church and State that 
produce disaffection, and strengthen the hands of the republicans. The 
first and great reform that is wanted is proper Church Reform. The 
King is head of the Church, let him, therefore, call an Assembly of the 
Clergy and submit to them a scheme of Reform. The existing creed of 
the Church has long ago ceased to command the respect of the people, 
showing how necessary a reformation is. 

We are now treading on classic ground, for we must not forget that to 
Germany we owe the Reformation of Luther. Her Dukes and People 
were the first to throw off the shackles of Rome, and we ask their suc- 
cessors to assist us to carry a new reformation, with the object not only 
of improving the Protestant Church, but of enabling the Catholic Churches 
to throw off the Roman yoke. Many of the towns of Germany are 
divided equally between Catholics and Protestants, showing how impor- 
tant a General Reformation must be to Germany. 

The literature of Prussia is in many respects objectionable. It consists 
mainly of scholarship, and consequently exercises little or no influence 
on the people, beyond giving them a taste for idle controversy. Heavy 
dry books which nobody can read have had their day. Let Prussia 
remember the warning of Macaulay — " the world will never be converted 



PRANCE. 115 

by quartos " — and they will come to reality. Scholarship interests no 
man; and when real information occupies the press of Prussia, the 
progress of the nation will begin, but not till then. 

Hegal, Strauss, and Baron Bunsen, have all failed to work out a 
system which meets the wants of man. Something much more natural 
and simple is wanting — something to reach the heart, as well as 
exercise the brain. It is not Scepticism but Belief that is wanting, and 
if the principles of the New Reformation should find their way to Ger- 
many, a Reformation in the right direction will be the consequence. 



CHAPTER V. 



FRANCE AND NAPOLEON III. 



About 150 years ago Louis XIV. overran all Europe, and after a war 
which desolated the nations for nearly fifty years — 1665 to 1713 — 
France came out of the struggle, loaded with debt, and oppressed by a 
military despotism. Napoleon I. trod in the steps of his predecessor, 
and after a warfare of nearly twenty years, Europe was again desolated, 
and France fared no better than in her former mad career after military 
glory and universal empire. When the present Emperor came to the 
throne, fears were entertained that the same tragedies were to be reacted 
for the third time, but happily these fears have not been realised. 

Napoleon III. has been sole ruler of France for twelve years, and, 
possessing as he does a power, in money, fleets, and armies, which his 
uncle never possessed, he has steadily rejected every temptation to 
follow his footsteps. Napoleon has declared his empire to be peace, 
and we are prepared to show that he has nobly fulfilled that pledge. 

While the first Napoleon had no command over himsalf, the third 
Napoleon has given many proofs that he can rise above selfishness, and 
command his temper under circumstances which are perhaps unparalleled 
in the career of any other man. Nothing is more trying to the temper 
of an honest man than to have base motives imputed to him, and if we 
were to collect a hundredth part of what the press has said of him for 
the last twelve years, it would show that the character of Napoleon will 
favourably compare with any statesman either of modern or ancient 
times. Show us a man who can rise above prejudice and selfishness, as 
reason shall dictate, and we have confidence in that man. 

It is a remarkable coincidence that Louis Philippe's government, 
which covered eighteen years of misrule and corruption, was praised 
all through by the English press, while the enlightened government of 
Louis Napoleon, which has existed for twelve years, has been uniformly 
denounced. 

On two great occasions (the Crimea and China), we have gone to war 
in concert with Napoleon, and in both cases the Emperor has acted as 
became a friend and an ally. The Coup oVEtat and the Savoy affair 



116 FRANCE. 

are now the only faults we have to find with the Emperor, and although, 
in looking back on these events, we can see how they could have been 
better managed, yet we can see nothing in them but what has repeatedly 
been done in political affairs without condemnation, for necessity has 
no law. The Coup oVEtat was managed to spare bloodshed, and in 
that respect it signally succeeded, for the greatest revolution which 
France ever saw was effected with the loss of only some thirty lives. 
As to Savoy, the cession of that province arose from the request of 
Cavour that Napoleon would assist him to unite all Italy. Before 
Napoleon could consent to so great an extension of a neighbouring 
power he naturally looked to the interests of France ; and if it was a 
loss to Italy to part with Savoy, that was the fault of Cavour in offering 
to give it up. Savoy and Nice have cost France fifty millions of 
capital and some thirty thousand lives, so she has paid dearly for the 
purchase. 

It is easy to find fault with anything, where there is a wish to 
do so, and for reasons which are best known to their authors, there 
has existed a desire to misunderstand and misrepresent everything 
that Napoleon has said or done. We are glad, however, to see that 
Mr. Cobden, who has resided for some time in France, and knows the 
Emperor, vindicates his policy from first to last. 

But we must now come to the French and English Alliance. What 
would we think of a member of a commercial firm quarrelling with his 
partner ? we should say it was suicidal ; and the same might be said if 
the Emperor was to turn his arms against the English, with whom he 
is in close alliance. The alliance has been followed by complete success 
in all that is good for both nations. But for it, Constantinople would 
have been the capital of Russia, and Italy would have remained disunited 
Let the Alliance cease, and let France and England go to war, and 
Napoleon's power would be paralyzed ; showing how improbable it is 
that the arms of France will ever be turned against her best friend 
and surest ally. 

The absurd cry, so often repeated, of French invasions, has cost this 
country many millions of capital. It has induced us to build ships, 
raise great fortifications, and arm 130,000 volunteers. All that is only 
money and time thrown away, for at no time was there the slightest risk 
of any French invasion. We may soon have to return to the old times 
of retrenchment, to make our expenses meet a falling revenue, and then 
we shall see the folly we have committed in wasting our valuable capital 
on useless armaments. 

America has lately raised the cry of English invasion — a thing which 
never entered into the mind of an Englishman to conceive as possible. 
The cry has arisen from jealousy, and a desire to induce the American 
people to consent to the raising of large armies and fleets. This folly 
on the part of the Americans, explains the reason why the English have 
so often raised the cry of French invasion. The two cases are analogous, 
for we believe the French to be as innocent of any idea of attacking 
England, as the English are of attacking America. 

It is the alliance of England and France, which has made the present 
age glorious in the annals of the world, beyond any previous epoch. 



FRANCE. 117 

England has gained greatly by that alliance, and so has France. Let it 
not be imagined that the benefits can be one-sided, for if it were so, the 
alliance would soon be broken up. Let both nations try to realize this 
necessity, and not look with jealousy on the rising interests of each 
other, on the contrary, let each nation rejoice in each other's prosperity. 
The interchange of commodities between the two countries used to be 
measured by units, now it is to be counted by tens, and it would be 
vain to predict what will be the limit of trade in years to come, with an 
alliance so well arranged as that which has resulted from the enlightened 
policy of Napoleon and Palmerston. 

It is a well known principle that we are not entitled to impute motives 
to others without sufficient reason, and those who may be inclined to 
differ with us as to the policy of the Emperor, are bound to state their 
reasons for so doing. If any such reasons can be offered, we shall be 
glad to see them distinctly stated, and we shall promise to give them 
every consideration in our next Essay. We are not infallible, and we 
shall be glad to be set right, if in any respect we have said a single 
word for the Emperor which the facts do not fully warrant. 

If we should be told that a time may come when the Emperor will 
not be able to control his people, and then there will be danger. To 
this we reply that we may imagine anything, but that it will be time 
enough to doubt the sincerity of our allies when they show any desire 
to withdraw their confidence from their Emperor. 

France leads the van in the march of regeneration and civilization, 
but what is she to do with the Church ? To maintain the Church in its 
present unreformed state the French nation must be contented with 
liberty in the State and despotism in the Church, and these two con- 
flicting elements are certain to produce wars and revolutions sooner or 
later. The object is peace, but that object cannot be obtained until true 
principles animate and rule every department of the Government. 

Now, assuming that Napoleon is sincere in his policy of Peace and 
Liberty, we shall be asked what difficulty can he have in at once estab- 
lishing a National Church in France, independent of the Church of 
Rome ? Is not the great Emperor powerful enough to act without con- 
sulting the Pope of Rome — for who is to say nay to a ruler with an 
army and fleet sufficient for anything ? There is a difficulty, however, 
and we shall explain it. 

The Church of France, as it now exists, is subject to the Church of 
Italy, and so long as the Italian Church is unreformed, that subjection 
of the French Bishops to the Bishop of Rome must continue. Napoleon 
waits to see what the King of Italy is about to do with the Church, 
before he acts, for the great work of Church Reform ought to begin in 
Italy, and not in France. Italy is the centre and fountain of the Catholic 
system, and before that system can be reformed, and made to conform to 
the principles of Truth and Liberty, the Cabinet of Turin must act. It is 
action, not words, that are now wanted, for until action is taken in the 
affairs of the Church, the politics of Europe cannot be settled. This 
complicated state of things is well known to the Government of France, 
who have shown every desire to reform the Church, but owing to the 
want of action at Turin, it cannot, for the present, move in the matter. 



118 UNITED KINGDOM OP AMERICA. 

Never before in modern times did so much power fall into the hands 
of one man, as in the case of Napoleon, and if the Emperor fails to 
use that power in the interests of Peace and Liberty, according to his 
professions, he will never be forgiven. Let him know that the lives and 
happiness of millions yet unborn hang on the issue of the present 
struggle between Civilization and Despotism, and that the nations look 
to him more than to any other man to give them the victory. We need 
scarcely say that we shall continue to watch the issue with the keenest 
interest, nor shall we be slow to sound the alarm if danger or reaction 
show themselves. 



CHAPTER VI. 



UNITED KINGDOM OF AMERICA. 



To explain the Slave question, we offer the following imaginary con- 
versation with President Lincoln. 

1. "Why do you, President Lincoln, not propose some amicable 
arrangement with the Southern States ? Every great war that has ever 
taken place might have been avoided if the contending parties had come 
together at the outset, and tried to settle their differences on the basis 
of justice between man and man. — Simply because we have nothing on 
which to negotiate. The Southern States have violated the Constitution, 
and it is our duty, as honest men, to force them to fulfil their obligations 
to that Constitution. 

3. Are you in favour of the Abolition of Slavery ? — Yes ; my election 
turned on that question, and there is not a member of my Government 
who is not pledged to that policy. 

4. Then why does not your army in the State of Virginia emancipate 
the slaves who take refuge in their camp? — The Constitution does not 
permit us to authorize the army to do so. 

5. But why may not that be done by the Generals in command of 
the army ? — To allow the army to over-ride the Constitution, would be 
the introduction of a Military Despotism. 

6. Then there is no remedy for the fix into which the secession has 
brought you. — None, except the remedy of the sword. 

7. Would not a Revolution, to set aside the existing Constitution, 
and adopt a new one, be a better remedy than the remedy of war ? — 
Public opinion must decide whether we are to stand to the Constitution 
or proclaim a new one. 

8. Do you hold it to be your duty blindly to obey the Constitution, 
whether it is good or bad ? You are a private citizen, as well as a 
public man ; and if you see that there is no constitutional remedy except 
war, is it not your duty to propose a new Constitution, seeing that the 
present Constitution does not allow you to liberate the slaves, as you 
desire to do ? — That is a matter more for the Public than for the 
Government. 



UNITED KINGDOM OP AMERICA. 119 

9. We must say we do not think your reason sufficient to justify a 
war which threatens to be the ruin of both parties. The English 
Government of 1832 did not stand by the Constitution, when they 
passed the Reform Bill. — England certainly reformed the Constitution 
in 1832, but the Government had the support of the People for what 
they did. 

10. Then if the People of America petition Congress to reform the 
Constitution you would advise Congress to grant it. — I do not feel 
myself at liberty to reply to that question. When the petitions for 
a Revolutionary Settlement make their appearance, it will be for Con- 
gress to deal with them as they think right. 

11. You say you are honest men, but I cannot say you will be 
consistent men, if you come into power on the principle of " No Slavery," 
and refuse to give effect to that policy in the present eventful crisis. — 
Let us drop the subject. 

The States of the South may now be considered irrevocably lost to 
the Union, and it will be the wisdom of the North to let them go. 
The first loss will be the least loss, for if the war to enforce reunion 
is to continue, the ruin and dissolution of both North and South is 
inevitable. If the war goes on, there will probably be more secessions. 
Instead of only two contending groups of States there may be several 
groups all asserting their independence, and on these circumstances, 
the sooner the war is brought to an end by the acknowledgment of 
the independence of the South the better. President Davis says, 
" let us alone" and that demand is so reasonable that no enlightened 
Government will be able to resist it. 

In treating of the proposed " United Kingdom of America," 
we refer exclusively to the twenty-two States of the North, of which 
Washington is the capital. We shall consider 1st, the plan of a 
National Church ; 2nd, the union of the states of the North into 
one nation ; and 3rd, the Election of a King, and the changes of the 
Constitution which that change would render necessary. These are the 
three great reforms that are called for, and we shall take them in the 
order we have stated them. 

The Disruption of the Union has arisen out of causes which have 
been in operation from the commencement of the Republic down to the 
present time, and that being so, unity cannot be restored until those 
causes are removed. 

Had a National Church been provided by General Washington, co- 
herence would have been given to the various States of the Union ; 
but as that was not done, a disruption in the long run was the inevitable 
result. There is no example in history of a great nation being pro- 
duced without a National Church ; and if the States desire to see their 
nation attain the height of power and splendour they anticipate, they 
must begin the work of regeneration by founding a Church. 

The new Articles of Religion proposed by the Reformation Society 
for the Church of England, are suitable for all other Churches, both 
Catholic and Protestant, and to show that these articles will in all 
probability be acceptable to the American people, we give a letter of the 
Hon. C. M. Clay, Minister of America at the Court of St. Petersburg. 



120 UNITED KINGDOM OF AMERICA. 

The text of the new Articles, on which Mr. Clay comments, will be 
found in Essay No. 1, of which the following is a list : — 



1. 


Of God. 


21. 


Baptism. 


2. 


Nature. 


22. 


The Lord's Supper. 


3. 


Miracles. 


23. 


Works of God and Man. 


4. 


Object of the World. 


24. 


Opinions. 


5. 


Immortality. 


25. 


Self-reliance. 


6. 


Free Will and Eesponsibility. 


26. 


Belief. 


7. 


The Trinity. 


27. 


Begeneration. 


8. 


Evil and its Bemedy. 


28. 


The Will. 


9. 


The Old Testament. 


29. 


Truth and Conscience. 


10. 


Secular Knowledge. 


30. 


Sincerity and Hypocrisy. 


11. 


The New Testament. 


31. 


Intolerance. 


12. 


Keligion. 


32. 


The Feelings of the Intellect. 


13. 


Object of Eeligion. 


33. 


Beason. 


14. 


Conversion. 


34. 


Love. 


15. 


End of the World. 


35. 


Bedemption. 


16. 


The Kesurrection. 


36. 


Divine Grace. 


17. 


Eewards and Punishments. 


37. 


This Life. 


18. 


Evil. 


38. 


The Lord's Day. 


19. 


The Incarnation. 


39. 


Preaching the Gospel. 


20. 


The Atonement. 







These Articles have been well received by the Catholic people of 
France and Italy, as represented by M. Cayla and the liberal press of 
the Continent, and now, as will be seen by Mr. Clay's letter which 
follows, they will receive an equally warm reception by the Protestants 
and Catholics of the New World. 

St. Petersburg, June 28th, 1861. 

My Dear Sir, — Your second favour with the pamphlets Nos. 1 and 3, 
is received, for which accept my thanks. I am much interested in 
the plan of a new reformation. I have most profoundly felt 
the want of a religion, where the reason and sentiments are brought 
into harmony, which none of the present Churches do. 

The blind fanaticism of Calvinism as set forth in Spurgeon, and the 
fruitlessness of all such false ideas of God and man, are confessed, not 
only by their failure, but by the admissions of their own defenders. 
I heartily concur with your effort to overthrow the false system by a 
new one ; and am not one of those who refuse an approach towards 
truth, because all truth is not at once found. 

To ignore man's good nature is just as absurd as to ignore his bad 
nature. Man is by nature neutral ground, which may be made to produce 
tares or wheat. It is just as absurd to expect corn to grow without 
culture, as morals to improve by the doctrine of idleness. The 
agency of priestcraft, blind expectancy or any other of the absurd 
nostrums of empiricks, who fail to look upon man's free-will and the 
God-given-laws of nature, can produce nothing but evil. 

Without further preface I come to the Thirty-nine Articles of the 
New Reformation, and shall attempt to show and avow how far they are 
true, for upon that principle only, can we base the happiness of our race. 

1. God. — I assent to this article. 

2. Nature. — I assent to this. 

3. Miracles. — I assent to this also, except that it is not broad 
enough. Ancient miracles are just as worthy of belief as modern 



UNITED KINGDOM OF AMERICA. 121 

ones, no more, no less. I will not, however, refuse to go with you 
half way towards truth, because you will not go with me all the ivay. 
(This is truly noble). 

4. Object of the World. — There is much truth in this, but not all 
the truth. I think you enumerate but one out of the many designs 
of God in creation, and that you put the cause for the effect. I think 
one of the prime designs of God in creation, is the happiness of all his 
creatures, man and the lower animals. Man's happiness is goodness and 
truth, which form the prime elements of a matured soul. But I cannot 
enlarge here. 

5. Immortality. — I assent to this doctrine because it is lovely to 
the sentiments. As I do not perceive that it violates any known truth, 
I am willing to accept it, till a better theory or fact, is made or dis- 
covered. That is the way all advances in knowledge are made. 

6. Free- Will and Responsibility. — I assent most cordially to this 
Article. In reasoning about Free-Will, the argument is not at all 
weakened by the fact that events or surroundings, material or immaterial, 
sometimes overbear or thwart our free-will, or will. That admission 
goes only to this, that we are not omnipotent, that the will is not all- 
powerful, overcoming other laws of God or nature. To contend that 
the will because it fails at times is not free, is simply to contend that 
it is not free because it is not God, and who ever contended that 
it was God. 

7. The Trinity. — I cannot assent to this article in the fair sense of 
the words used. I think it a waste of time and metal to attempt to 
make anything out of that old source of obfuscation. 

8. Evil and its Remedy. — I do not clearly see that you are right 
here. I rather think nature begins in chaos or neutrality, or rather 
passive or inert capabilities, which may be evolved in two directions, 
which for want of better terms we may call good or evil. I see an 
earth and a seed, it may expand into a beautiful and fragrant rose — or 
somewhere short of that, make only proper refuse for a dunghill. 

9. The Old Testament. — Good, I assent. Perhaps better — the 
dealings of the Jews with God. 

10. Secular Knowledge. — I assent to this in the main. I had 
rather leave that word "faith" out of the system. Blind trust is the 
cause of all our woes ! I go for that faith which is the natural assent of 
the understanding. With regard to its obscure connection with the 
sentiments, our psychological being, Faith had best be dropped as too 
indefinite. 

11. The New Testament. — I do not see any essential objection 
to this article. 

12. Religion. — I see no great objection to this definition. There 
is a little tautology in speaking of "true" and "right." There 
may be some remissness in getting at facts, but when the facts are 
presented, it seems to me that belief is involuntary, and neither 
worthy of approbation nor the opposite. No man is condemned for 
seeing that two and two make four. Moral evidence, though more 
obscure and intricate, is based upon the same laws as matters of fact 
in mental comprehension or physical expression. " Justified " seems 

c 



122 UNITED KINGDOM OP AMERICA. 

to me an extraneous entity here, and had best be left out, and some term 
of real meaning substituted. (There is certainly no merit in belief of 
that which we know, but there is merit in obeying what we know.) 

13. Object of Religion. — I assent. 

14. Conversion. — I assent. Some other word than " conversion" had 
best be used, for that word is greatly damaged by ignorant inter- 
pretation and false meanings, or assertions of fact. (Mr. Clay's 
acceptance of this important article is extremely encouraging.) 

15. End of the World. — Very well put. 

16. The Resurrection. — I hope you are right. 

17. Rewards and Punishments. — If virtue is its own reward 
so is vice. The end of all pain moral or conscientious, and physical, 
seems to be corrective or preservative. When I put my foot into the 
fire it pains me, else this body might be destroyed. So when I violate 
the moral law, give to a parent for her loving-kindness, insult and 
outrage, instead of tenderness and protection, God cries out against 
the abuse by remorse. 

18. Evil. — This is fairly put. I define "evil" to be a violation of 
God's laws in mind and body — the poverty of language makes us call 
the effect the pain ensuing also — " evil." 

19. The Incarnation of Christ. — The proposition is more compre- 
hensive than the facts warrant. It does very well however for the 
cure of the old theologies. 

20. The Atonement. — I like this well enough as to definition. 
It is a remnant, however, of Judaism. It is a little obscure, and 
slightly timid. 

21. Baptism. — That is more of the lumber of the past; and 
Judaistical. 

22. The Lord's Supper. — I do not object. It is a touching and 
appropriate memento. 

23. Works of God and Man. — Good, I think. 

24. Opinions. — I cannot go the whole length of this. It would 
take too much metaphysical twine to make the whole web. The 
Mahomedan imbibes his faith with his mother's milk ; I cannot say 
exactly how far he is responsible. As their doctrines are erroneous, 
they are reaping the bitter fruits. 

25. Self-reliance. — Very well. 

26. Belief. — The definition is neither complete nor true. Thought 
and belief are not the same. Fiction is the creature of thought — 
mental energy and creation are very different from the assent of the 
mind. The corollary is well enough. 

27. Regeneration. — Is well enough. It is, however, too meta- 
phorical for life actions. 

28. The Will.— A little too clerical; and covered up in old 
vestments. 

27. Truth and Conscience. — I do not see that you emit much light 
here. Truth would be the same (all outside of man), if man did not 
exist. Conscience is rather the perceiver than the perceived. The 
whole sentence wants the ability elsewhere displayed. 

30. Sincerity and Hypocrisy. — This is, alas, too true for our self- 



UNITED KINGDOM OF AMERICA. 123 

elation. Hypocrisy is always cruel, for it avenges upon others the 
pains of its own humiliation 

31. Intolerance. — All Gospel. 

32. The Feelings of the Intellect. — I think them of equal force 
and dignity. None of God's works are superfluous, or in vain. (We 
hope Mr. Clay will reconsider this — all are good in their places, but the 
place of the one is to rule and the other to be ruled.) 

33. Reason. — Well. But I am of opinion the Deity had not the 
bible especially in mind, when He created man. 

34. Love. — Very well said. 

35. Redemption. — Well enough. The words are, however, obsolete; 
and rather judaical. 

36. Divine Grace. — All Grace is Divine. Rather technical for use. 

37. This Life. — I like the text, but dissent from the corollary. I 
do not believe — do not begin to believe, that the world would become a 
moral wilderness without "the Clergy and the Sabbath." They may be 
made very efficient instrumentalities in moralizing the world, but now 
they are the greatest obstructions, hanging upon the haunches of all 
reformers, and crushing them down. It is against these powers that your 
society now struggles; and where you will find the heaviest weight 
in its progression. 

39. Preaching the Gospel. — Yes, we must preach the Gospel — but 
it must be a new one. The Gospel of maris free-will — capability — 
development — creative power — of love and aspirations after an approach 
to the Divine nature — in one word the Gospel of Truth. 

There is much in your letter on a national church for reflection. 
A National Church — that is to say a system sustained by the nation — 
causing a central interest, will prove a great bond of the nation. The 
trouble will be to get clear of sectarian personal interests. But in a 
consummation so devoutly to be wished, the end will justify much 
labor. What you propose will meet with the approbation of the first 
minds of the country, especially as most sensible persons see that some 
change must be made, or worse will come of it. When Truth is once 
fairly recognised, hypocrisy and intolerance will cease. 

Such is a hurried and frank criticism of the principles of the New 
Reformation — take it in the spirit in which it is given. Should 
my official duties allow, which I trust they will, it will be a pleasure to 
me to continue this discussion. — Yours very truly, 

To A. Alison, Esq., C. M. CLAY. 

It is impossible to over-value the importance of this letter. America 
is not to be despaired of, when, in the hour of her extremity, she 
produces a statesman who has the moral courage to stand forth and avow 
his principles in the face of the world. We have no hesitation in saying 
that civilization, not only in America, but in England and throughout 
the world, has at last received an impetus which will soon show 
itself in action. 

The following article is from the Opinione Nationale, of Paris : 

"In every direction Governments are beginning to understand that 
there is only one way of avoiding destruction and ruin, and that is, for 
Governments to keep pace with the increased wants of the people. In 



124 UNITED KINGDOM 01" AMERICA. 

France very important Religious and Political changes are going on, as 
indicated by the openly sanctioned and extensive circulation of books 
and pamphlets on Religion and Politics, some of which are known to 
have been inspired from the highest quarters. Among these writings 
may be cited a very important work on ' The Regeneration of the 
Catholic Church,' by the Abbe Michau, and a series of pamphlets by 
M. Cayla, on ' The Approaching Reformation of the Catholic Church 
in France and Italy.' 

" In England, where liberty of association and worship is greater than 
it is as yet in France or Italy, there has lately been established a society 
of gentlemen, eminent for great abilities and high character, with the 
object of reforming the inconsistencies which exist in the Protestant 
Church, and the promotion of the social interests of the nation. The 
New Reformation Society is the title which it has most appropriately 
adopted, and, although established less than a year, the Society already 
reckons many warm adherents in every part of Europe. The translation 
into French of the first Essay of the Society by M. Cayla has appeared, 
and has been read in France with the deepest interest. 

" Mr. Alison, as President of the Society — 4he distinguished author 
of ' The Philosophy and History of Civilization,' a work of the deepest 
interest — has just published a plan for a National Church for Italy, 
which has been approved by every sound thinking politician who 
has perused it. The plan contains the following propositions, in which 
we cordially concur: — 1. The King, as head of the State and represen- 
tative of the Nation, to be recognized as head of the Church. 2. The 
Temporalities of the Church to be vested in the Houses of Parliament; 
and the Spiritualities in a General Council, to be constituted on a repre- 
sentative basis. 3. The Bishops and other Dignitaries of the Church 
to be elected by the Crown. The Parochial Clergy and Lay Deacons 
to be elected by the People. 4. Two Clergymen and twelve Lay Dea- 
cons to be appointed to each parish. The Clergy to attend to the 
spiritual interests of the parish, and the Deacons to the temporal inte- 
rests, including Education and the care of the sick and the poor. 

" The approaching meeting of the Italian Parliament at Rome, and a 
Council of the Church, under the presidency of the Pope, who will 
either accept the proposed reforms or be replaced by an Archbishop of 
Rome, are commented on. In this way will an end be put to the tem- 
poral and spiritual difficulties which have so long embarrassed the Italian 
question, and which for the last twelve years have held the most able 
French diplomatists in check. This is, indeed, a noble and sublime 
programme which Mr. Alison and his coadjutors have devised so ably, 
and most fervently must every true Christian wish to see it carried. 

"Paris, 24th May, 1861." "M. Silvestre." 

No one believed us when, at the outset of our career, we announced 
that the capacity of perceiving Truth existed alike in the minds of all 
men; and now that the problem is proved, we trust the reign of scep- 
ticism will come to an end, — for a universal Code of Belief has been 
submitted to the world, and the world has accepted it. 

The want of a National Creed to serve as an authorized centre on 
which Public Opinion might turn, has been severely felt in America. 



UNITED KINGDOM OP AMERICA. 125 

Public Opinion and the Press have become a babel of tongues. The 
consequence has been, an accumulation of all the evil passions of which 
man is capable — of which we may name selfishness, pride, intolerance, 
hypocrisy, jealousy, and the splitting up of the Churches into endless 
divisions and sects. 

Society must have bonds, and these bonds have hitherto been the 
bonds of a dreaded and hostile censorship — the very opposite of what 
they ought to be. With a National Church to foster the salutary feelings 
of reverence and good feeling, the bonds of love, sincerity, and liberty, 
will take the place of hatred, hypocrisy, and oppression. Without a 
National Creed to give cohesion and consistency to Public Opinion, 
society is like a rope of sand, held together not by love but by fear. 
Look at a family circle, allow its members to disregard the rules of 
conduct, and feaV, and not love, becomes the ruling power. 

When Washington and his coadjutors founded the United States 
Government, they were well aware that the want of a National Creed 
was a defect; but not knowing how that desideratum was to be 
supplied, they were forced to do without it. If it was right to found 
a National School, it was wrong not to found a National Church — for 
the education of adults is surely as necessary to the well-being of a 
state as the education of children. This was an error — for which 
America is paying severely, — but under the circumstances perhaps there 
was no other alternative. There will, however, be no excuse now 
if the statesmen of America attempt to patch up the constitution with- 
out introducing a National Church; and the way in which our efforts 
have been met by Mr. Clay bids fair for a speedy settlement. 

Having shown how a National Church may be established, we come 
to the no less important object of uniting all the States in one United 
Kingdom. Unrestricted trade is built on the principle of self-sacrifice, 
and so is Civil Liberty ; and in asking the independent States of 
America to sacrifice their individual independence on the altar of the 
public good, we appeal to the highest principle of which man is 
capable. 

With regard to the question whether a republic or a monarchy would 
be best, we cannot do better than point to South America, which, 
with one exception, is governed by republics. These governments 
have all fallen into a state of lassitude and misrule ; and if North 
America is henceforth to be ruled by Republics, and without the aid of 
a National Church, its future history may yet partake of the same 
character. 

The new Italian nation found that the system of independent states 
would not work, and the genius of the great Cavour wisely overruled 
it. Let all the States of the Union be merged into one, as has been 
done in Italy, and let independent municipal governments be given 
to the towns, and every reasonable desire for self-government will be 
gratified. 

The advantage of a King over a President is, that the one is hereditary 
and the other elective. What caused the fall of Poland, and her 
extinction as a nation, while all the other monarchies, her contem- 
poraries, have survived to this day ? The reason is that the crown of 



126 UNITED KINGDOM OF AMERICA. 

Poland was elective. The fate of Poland, therefore, is a lesson to 
America. The occasional cause of the disruption of America, was 
the election of President Lincoln. The jealousy and party feeling 
which that election produced, brought the United States to an end, as 
was the case in Poland ; and so long as the King or President of 
America is elective, the States of America will always be exposed to 
similar catastrophes. 

It may be right to explain that the new Kingdom, if that be decided 
on, will of course employ those who lose their offices by the Revolution ; 
and if the whole cannot be so employed, the remainder will be entitled 
to compensation for the losses they may thereby sustain. It is right 
that we should explain this, so as to remove obstacles to a great refor- 
mation, which is essential to the peace and welfare of the whole conti- 
nent of America. 

When the whole nation is united by the fusion of its provinces, 
and by the adoption of a National Church, it is ripe for going forward 
to the third and final step of electing its sovereign, and of deciding 
upon a new Constitution upon a representative basis. Let the future 
King of United America be chosen from the Royal Families of Europe, 
and by the suffrages of the people, and the new nation will be second to 
none, either in resources, or in the enjoyment of every blessing of which 
the world is capable. 

Two things are almost essential to the progress of a Reformation — 
the first is a Revolution, and the second a movement from without, 
and these two accompaniments of a Reformation are now in progress. 
A Revolution has come at a time when a Reformation was going on in 
England, and these great events coming together is highly favourable to 
the future of America. The only consolation to those who suffer from 
a revolution is, that it will produce a reformation — that present evil will 
produce future good, and in the hope that such will be the experience of 
America, we have done our best to press the matter on their attention. 

In England we know the difficulty of carrying reforms without the 
impulse of a revolution, or some aid from without, and now that America 
has that which England wants, it will be inexcusable if she remains 
unreformed. Prove to the people the benefits of a united country, 
presided over by a King, and checked by a Congress representing 
the people, and they will, with one accord, go to the polling booth and 
vote for a King. 

We shall conclude, as we began, with the difficult question of Slavery. 
It has been said, that President Lincoln has offered to guarantee the 
maintenance of slavery to the South if they will rejoin the Union. 
Now, this is a rumour which bears its own refutation. Lincoln holds 
his high office solely in consequence of his opposition to slavery, and to 
imagine for a moment that he would receive the Secession States back 
into the Union, and allow them to carry on their slave projects as before, 
is not conceivable. Should the Washington Government attempt any 
thing of that kind, the people would hurl them from power, as traitors 
to the cause of Freedom. 

If we are asked what the South should do, we say — offer to the Lin- 
coln Government to free the slaves, with or without compensation, and 



UNITED KINGDOM OP AMERICA. 127 

rejoin the Union as a United Kingdom, and if they refuse that most 
reasonable offer of compromise, you will be able to appeal to all Europe, 
in behalf of a good cause. 

The North allege that slavery was the cause of the secession ; but 
that cannot be, for it was the South who seceded, and they, of course, 
have no objection to slavery. The real causes of the rupture are — first, 
the loss of power and patronage owing to the election of Lincoln, for 
the South had always before held the election in their own hands. The 
President has about 50,000 places in his gift, and the loss of that patron- 
age was one cause. The second cause was the growing evils of Demo- 
cracy, which the South was willing to bear so long as the elections 
were in their own hands ; but the moment they lost power they were 
unwilling any longer to remain under a system of government of which 
they did not approve. Such, we think, will be found to be the origin 
of the Civil War and Revolution now going on in the States. 

The United States Government is decidedly a despotism. In England, 
only a limited number of offices are at the disposal of the Government, 
and these few change hands with every change of Government. These 
changes may take place at any time — an arrangement essential to every 
representative Government. Now, look at the United States. There 
all the Government offices are in the gift of the President, and they 
cannot be changed for five years at least. The effect of this is to place 
the Chambers entirely in the hands of the Government ; and as to Public 
Opinion, that has no power whatever. Now, all this despotism will be 
removed, when America becomes a Kingdom. 

If America, blind to her interests, adheres to her present Constitution, 
and refuses to adopt a new one, what will be the consequence ? By a 
protracted war she may subdue the South, but a peace, the child of mere 
force, will only be peace in name. The old sources of evil and dis- 
cord will remain. She will have an elective President as before, to 
keep up the old strife between the north and the south at every return 
of the election. She will have no true Church, to encourage and foster 
habits of order, reverence and love, and will suffer accordingly. 

The American people have now the opportunity of correcting all the 
vices of the present system, but if they will not listen to the voice of 
reason, but to the voice of habit and prejudice, they must suffer, even 
though the present war should for a time be brought to an end. What 
is so common in the history of the world as a renewal of wars, one after 
the other ? and that will be their fate, if the present war is not cut short 
by the hand of Reform. Destroy the causes of civil war, and there will 
be no renewal of it ; but let these causes remain, and periodical returns 
of Revolutionary Wars are certain. 

The one object which at present fills the mind of the people is, 
the recovery of lost territory and military glory; but when the attention 
of the public is turned to internal peace and improvement, they will 
look on the acquisition of new territory, or the recovery of that which 
is lost, as comparatively empty shadows. Moral worth and character 
is the true glory of any nation, for that alone can give peace and 
contentment. That being so, a treaty of peace, offensive and defensive, 
will easily be arranged with the Southern Confederacy. To the South 



128 CONCLUSION. 

the North will say, you have asked to be let alone, and we answer — go 
in peace, — henceforth the two nations shall only vie with each other 
which shall be the greatest in all that is worth contending for. 



CONCLUSION. 

We have now completed a rapid, but perhaps a more comprehensive 
sketch of the present state and future prospects of the world than has 
ever before been attempted. We have submitted the present state of 
Public Opinion to a thorough sifting, and shown how disorder and 
imperfection may be turned into order and principle. To one and all 
the nations we have preached principle and peace, and have shown how 
the present state of revolution may be turned into a state of peace and 
confidence. 

To England we have said — centralize the Government and reform 
the Church. To Italy we say — transfer the spiritual power from the 
Pope to the King while you have the opportunity, or very soon the 
Pope will be restored to his lost dominions, and all that has been done 
for Italy will be lost. To Austria, Russia, and Prussia we say — reform 
the Church, and think no more of extending empires which are already 
too large. To France we say — you are far from peace, and it will not 
be until you have a National Church, independant of Rome, that you 
can be a free and contented people. And to America we say — follow 
the example of England, France and Italy, and complete your Consti- 
tution by the election of a King. 

We said at the commencement, that the great difficulty in reforming 
the World, was to find a scheme of Reform which would be generally 
acceptable, and that difficulty may now be considered overcome, by the 
very general acceptance of the New Articles of Belief. Nothing now 
remains, but to follow out in action what has been accepted in principle. 

If principle in every case is allowed to precede action, there will 
either be no wars, or at least no unjust or aggressive wars. And if 
reforms are allowed to be passed by the ruling powers, there will either 
be no revolutions, or at least none which are not desirable. And in the 
hope that we do not labour in the field of reform in vain, we commit 
these pages to the earnest and candid consideration of our readers in all 
parts of the world. 



FINIS 



PRINTED BY GEO. H. NICHOLS, EARL'S COURT, LEICESTER SQUARE, LONDON. 



ESSAY No. 5. 



CHAPTER I. 

PERSONAL REFORMATION. 

Iii this, the fifth Essay of the series, our purpose is to devote a 
chapter to each of the three great objects of our movement, viz., 
Personal Reform, Church Reform, and Government Reform, and with- 
out further preface, we shall commence with Personal Reform. 

We have three words to denote Goodness, viz. — Holiness, Virtue, 
Righteousness. The first is applied almost exclusively to the Deity, 
and the two latter to Man. The use of these words having almost gone 
out of fashion, it will be useful if we attempt to define what Goodness 
is, and how it operates. A good man is a man of principle, a man of 
integrity, in short, a man who acts upon principle rather than impulse, 
in all he thinks, says, and does. Such men may be rare, but there is 
no reason why the majority of men may not, even in our own day, 
answer to the description now given. 

We have always considered Plutarch's Lives (written about the year 
100, a.d.) better than any other biographical work, either ancient or 
modern, as it treats so fully the motives of action. Shakespeare, who 
took all his best parts from Plutarch, falls woefully short of his great 
original. Well, what does Plutarch say of Goodness ? He, who has 
analysed the motives of all the celebrities of ancient times, ought to 
be able to tell us whether Goodness is a reality, or only a devout 
imagination. Here are his words: — 

" The beauty of Goodness has an attractive power. It kindles 
within us an active principle, which forms our manners and influences 
our desires." This is most encouraging, but is it true ? Has the ex- 
hibition of Goodness really that wonderful power over the mind ? We 
say it has. Then why, are there so few good men in the world ? This 
is a pertinent question, and we shall state the reason. 

There is an Evil principle in the world as well as a Good principle, 
and hitherto the Evil principle has prevailed. We have been taught 
that no such thing as Goodness exists, and therefore, that it is idle 
to seek after it. That is the reason why Goodness has never had 
a chance to prevail. Precept has been bad, and that has produced bad 
practice, but let precept be good, and we shall have practice good. We 
say that the practice of the world is quite as good as its precept. 
Nothing can be clearer than this, so that the argument drawn from the 
scarcity of good men falls to the ground. 

Let us not be cast down because the good and the noble are not 
to be found, for it may be that they only keep in the background, and 
wait until they can show themselves without fear. Let us remember 
the case of the Prophet, who imagined that he was left alone in the 
world, but when the time of deliverance came, four thousand men joined 
him. It is the fashion to scoff at Goodness and public, spirit, but 

C 



136 PERSONAL REFORMATION. 

when that cloud passes away, the public spirit of the people will revive 
and show itself. 

Man, when originally planted on the earth, was little better than the 
brute creation, of which, the savage tribes still existing are an example. 
But this is not all, for the child of every civilized man begins with the 
animal propensities, and must convert these into new and better pro- 
pensities, and this conversion from Nature to Civilization is only very 
imperfectly effected in the case of the vast majority. Nature is 
stubborn and obstinate, and will not be converted if it can help it. 
Another quality, however, exists in the mind, which acts powerfully in 
the opposite direction, and that quality is Reason. These two powers 
of Nature and Reason are ever contending with each other, the one 
stoutly maintaining the rights of Nature, and the other as manfully 
sustaining the rights of Civilization. 

The education of the men at school and college is extremely defec- 
tive. It consists chiefly of the Classics, Logic, and Mathematics. Now 
these studies may make scholars, but they cannot make men. What is 
wanted is a knowledge of Human Nature, its wants and capabilities, 
and how the former may be supplied and the latter cultivated. Our 
young men are thrown on the world quite ignorant of it, and allowed 
to push their way in the best way they can. But bad as the education 
of the men is, the education of the women is even worse. The women 
are educated to be pretty toys, whereas they ought to be educated to 
make good wives and mothers. No wonder that marriages are going 
out of fashion, and that Sir Cresswell Cresswell's hands are full of work, 
when the men are crammed with useless scholarship, and the women 
have nothing but showy accomplishments to recommend them. Neither 
the one nor the other are provided with the materials to make life 
happy and useful, and when a couple rise above mediocrity, that is 
not in consequence of anything they have learned at school but in spite 
of it. A complete reformation in education must take place, and so soon 
as our Church Reform Bill is passed — for it would be useless to attempt 
anything in shape of a real reform sooner — we shall take the matter up. 

A young lady is reported to have told her family that she had been 
reading our books and that she was reformed. The astonished mamma 
exclaimed, why child, you were never bad, and how then can you be 
reformed. "Yes, mamma," replied the daughter, "for / was very 
obstinate.'' 1 Here the whole secret is revealed — nature requires to be 
subdued by reason, for until that operation is performed, we are very 
obstinate. Civilization or principle triumphed over nature in the case 
before us, and all who conquer themselves in the same way, may say 
they are reformed. 

We have been asked whether bad tempers abound most among the 
men or among the women, and the answer we have always given is, 
that they probably abound most with the latter. This must be so. 
The women are not so easily made to think and reason as the men, they 
are therefore more obstinate, and that is only another word for temper. 

Our wish and desire is to raise the character of the women of all 
ranks, and through them to raise the character of the men. Men are 
too much occupied with their farms and their merchandise to give much 
attention to these matters, at least, at the outset of the movement^ we 



PERSONAL REFORMATION. 137 

therefore look to the women to show the example. Now the first 
step in all reformations is to know the truth. We are satisfied from 
what we know of the women, that they do not wish to be flattered at 
the expense of truth, and when we say that they are generally speaking 
less amenable to reason than the men, they will agree with us. 

Unhappy marriages are fast becoming the rule instead of the ex- 
ception, and what is the main reason of that, but the want of sufficient 
reasoning powers to enable the women to meet the difficulties and 
annoyances of married life, A mother told us that when she chided 
her daughters for talking nonsense, they replied, that if they talked 
anything else, they would be cut by society. To this we reply. When 
the accomplishments of women embrace more than music and languages, 
and what little they gather from novel reading, the men will discover, 
that if they wish to be popular they must talk sense, so that the women 
have the matter very much in their own hands. 

But why are the women less advanced than the men ? There are 
many instances on record of women rising to great eminence as thinkers 
and actors, and as to their powers of endurance under difficulties, they 
even surpass the men. We are free to admit that the women are as 
highly gifted naturally as the men, the difference must therefore arise 
from some other cause. 

The want of suitable employment for the women is universally felt 
and acknowledged. In the higher ranks, the women have ample time 
at their disposal, and yet they have no useful employments for it. 
Good reading is all very well, but that without suitable occupation is 
not enough, for idleness must always end in frivolity. Now the 
employment so much wanted will be supplied by the reformation 
movement. Committees of Ladies, for the promotion of the movement, 
are to be established in each town and district of the country, and these 
will furnish ample work in which ladies may interest themselves with 
credit to themselves and benefit to those for whom they labour. The 
women complain that they are cut off from all opportunity of dis- 
tinguishing themselves, so here the opportunity so much wanted is sup- 
plied, and if the Ladies' Committes do not produce many Florence 
Nightingales, we are greatly mistaken. 

We lately made a survey of the lowest localities of one of our large 
towns, and when we reported that our worst fears as to the neglected 
state of the population were confirmed, we were told, " How can the 
people improve, when there are none to tell them what to do." Here is 
a wide field of operations. Having instructed themselves in the 
principles of the Reformation, let the Ladies of the Committee go forth 
as missionaries, to the poor and needy, and tell them what they are to do. 

To take in without giving out produces comparatively little fruit. 
We therefore say be not selfish;, do not hide your treasure in your own 
hearts, but freely as you have received freely give. We once presented 
a book on the New Reformation to a lady, and some months after 
we asked for the loan of the book for the use of a friend. The book 
was produced, but with the leaves uncut ! Unprofitable servant, we 
exclaimed, you have hid your treasure in the ground, neither using it 
yourself nor allowing others to use it. We mention this incident that 
our friends may not be niggardly with. any information they may acquire, 

c 2 



138 PERSONAL REFORMATION. 

but freely communicate all they know that the progress of the reforma- 
tion be not hindered. 

When our library scheme is in operation that will greatly aid the 
work of the Ladies' Committee. They will see that the people avail 
themselves of the books provided for their instruction, and in ministering 
to others, they themselves will share the benefits. We have now shown 
how the female character may be raised, and how that is to conduce to 
the general good of all classes. 

Hitherto, missionary work has been confined to the few, now a new 
era will commence, in which the rich will operate on the poor upon a 
scale adequate to the enormous mass of evil which everywhere abounds. 
We have the promise that a day is coming when all are to know the 
Lord from the least to the greatest, and we hope we have indicated the 
means by which that prophecy is to be fulfilled. The age of miracles 
has gone by, and there is no other way in which the prophecy can be 
fulfilled but by instructing the people in a way that is calculated to 
effect that object. The result of past efforts has shown that the Clergy, 
without the help of the Laity, can do little in the work of evangelizing 
the masses. England, so renowned for her public spirit and missionary 
societies, is weighed in the balance and found wanting, for in tending 
the vineyards of others her own vineyard she has not kept. 

The reformation will be a practical carrying out of the Divine precept, 
" Let your moderation be known unto all men." " Be not righteous 
over-much," i.e. righteous in that which is not righteousness but 
hypocrisy. Should it be said that the reformation tends to secularize 
religion, we reply that it will sanctify politics, and what the one loses 
will be gained by the other. But the fact is, religion will lose nothing 
but what it ought to lose, viz. its hypocrisy and intolerant spirit. 

But why be moderate in that which is good ? We answer that even 
a good thing may be carried too far, for that which is good in modera- 
tion becomes evil in excess. This rule is true in religion, for if we 
were to apply our whole thoughts and time to religion, we should 
neglect everything else, which would soon bring us to beggary and 
every evil under the sun. No, the duties of life are numerous, and in 
discharging them, we must be careful not to allow any one duty to 
occupy more than a fair share of our time and attention. 

The Alliance for the promotion of Temperance has lately met in 
Manchester. Now, if the object of this great alliance, comprising 
twelve hundred societies, is the good of the people, their object is 
identical with our own. Instead of trying to make men good by for- 
bidding them the use in moderation of any of God's mercies, we ask 
them to assist us in enlightening the people. In this way the Alliance 
will effect their great object — which they can never do by an Act of 
Parliament, or the doctrine of total abstinence. 

Instruction as to what is Good and Evil is all that is wanting to 
produce an extraordinary change for the better among all classes, for as 
Ignorance and Delusion cease, so will Goodness encrease. The masses, 
at present, are so ignorant, that they are at the mercy of every 
demagogue who chooses to lead them astray. This is the way how 
strikes among the workmen are got up. The loss to the workmen and 
the community at large from this cause is incalculable, and in estimating 



CHURCH REFORM. 189 

the money value of the reformation— which would remove this evil— 
this enormous item must not be overlooked. Nor is this all. At 
present, the people are apt to be led away by every political and 
religious fallacy of the day, whereas, with an enlightened populace, that 
source of evil will be lessened, if not entirely removed. Riots and 
Revolutions are happily unknown to England in our time, but let us 
beware. The state of revolution in which our relations in America 
have fallen, shows very plainly that we too may suffer from the same 
cause if something be not done to improve the condition of the people. 
When Plutarch began to write, Rome was at her lowest ebb, in the 
reigns of Nero, Caligula, and Domitian, and soon after in the life-time 
of Plutarch, the golden age in the reign of Trajan began. Now, what 
but to Plutarch's book can we ascribe so great a revolution. On reading 
the book itself, we think it competent to produce the reformation, which 
actually took place, and there is no reason to doubt that " the Lives of 
Plutarch " produced the change. Plutarch and the other great men of 
his day saved Civilization for a whole century, but, alas ! it fell soon 
after. The reformers of those days did not lay their schemes sufficiently 
deep, and after their death their work was lost. This error will now 
be avoided. By the Church Reform Bill on the one hand, and Personal 
Reformation on the other, the work now begun will be stereotyped, 
and such as may be transmitted from generation to generation. 



CHAPTER II. 

CHURCH REFORM. 



We have been struck with the way in which some people speak of 
the Bible. They say if so and so be in the Bible it is true, and if not 
it is false. Now this is to idolize the Bible, and to shut out all the 
light which nature gives. Such men imagine that we have only one 
book of revelation, whereas we have two — the Book of Revelation and 
the Book of Nature. The Bible was never intended to shut out the 
light of nature; and they who use it in this way make the Bible an 
idol — an evil, the magnitude of which it would be vain to attempt to 
describe. If we now look at the contents of the Bible, this will be 
apparent. The first half of the old Bible, down to the book of Chroni- 
cles, is a history of the wars of the Jews, and the giving of the law — 
no portion of which can possibly interest or instruct the nations of 
Christendom. The latter part of the Bible consists of prophecies, 
which can be of little use to us, for they do not predict any event plain 
enough to make a practical use of them. The study of these prophecies 
only serves to turn man's attention away from the proper duties of life, 
which do not consist of attempts to penetrate into the secrets of the 
future, beyond what the use of reason enables us to do. 

The New Testament is intended for the use of all times ; and there 
we may reap a rich harvest of instruction if we will use it side by side 
with the light of nature. The four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles 
are historical, and abound with precepts which are eternally true. The 



140 CHURCH REFORM* 

Epistles, which form the remaining half of the New Testament, are 
commentaries on the historical part ; and as their authors, with one 
exception (St. Paul), had the benefit of hearing our Lord preach, their 
authority is almost equal to that of the Gospels themselves. 

Having shown what the Bible contains, let us see what it does not 
contain. The Bible, either old or new contains no history of any nation 
except the Jews. It contains no scientific account of the heavenly 
bodies, or their movements, by which we learn the art of navigation, 
and a variety of other arts. It contains no account of the geological 
formation of the earth, by which we carry back the history of the world 
for millions of years. It contains no information as to the properties of 
heat, air, water, and matter, by which we multiply the comforts and 
supply the wants of man. In short, the Bible contains neither Sciences 
nor Arts, — and without these, civilization could have no existence. 

Such being the facts of the case, we ask what becomes of the wisdom 
of those who see nothing in anything that is not in the Bible ? It is 
only indolence, ignorance, and folly which dictate such sentiments; and 
instead of honouring God by using the Bible in that way, they dis- 
honour Him. The object of God is the progress of the world in all 
that is good ; and unless it be held that Civilization is evil, that object 
can only be advanced by using the Book of Nature as well as the Book 
of Revelation in the reflected light of each other. The immoderate 
use of the Bible creates intolerance, and prevents reason and experience 
having their perfect work on the soul, and we trust these remarks may 
have some effect in removing so great an evil. Intolerance is ex- 
cuseable in a false religion, but to a true religion it is a scandal. 

We have been accustomed to interpret the whole of the New Testa- 
ment by St. Paul, although he is the only writer who had his gospel 
from hearsay. We interpret the gospel by an interpretation, instead of 
going to the gospel itself. Now if we reverse this process, and interpret 
St. Paul by the gospel, we shall understand what the apostle means. 
As St. John, St. Peter, and St. James wrote subsequently to St. Paul, 
and as their gospels give no countenance to the peculiar views attributed 
to St. Paul, it is quite certain that we err, almost to a complete nullifi- 
cation of the gospel, by using St. Paul in the way we do. Let us first 
ascertain what the gospel is, and then the whole of the New Testament, 
including St. Paul, may be interpreted from that as a starting point. 
We have found that the gospel means LOVE and SELF-DENIAL ; 
and I am sure St. Paul, who dwells so much on these duties, will not 
be found 'less evangelical than the Evangelists themselves. To open 
St. Paul and pick out passages to support Calvinistic opinions, is not a 
mode of interpretation which would be tolerated with any other book ; 
and it is very certain, that until we interpret the Bible on a better 
principle than that of arbitrary selection, we shall never come to a 
knowledge of what it really contains. 

Original Sin. 

The allegory of the Fall is intended to testify to the presence of evil 
or want, and to illustrate the subtlety and malignity of human nature 
before it has been civilized ; and, taken in that sense, its meaning is 
obvious, and in accordance with fact. It was as necessary to teach the 
ignorance of primitive times by the allegory of the Fall, as it was to 



CHURCH REFORM. 141 

prepare the Jews for the advent of the Saviour by the burdensome 
worship of the ceremonial law. If it is difficult to read the account 
of the Fall as an allegory, it is much more difficult to understand how 
the Jewish religion was ordained by God, and afterwards abolished by 
Christ. Further, if we are not to be allowed to read the account of 
the Fall allegorically, why are we permitted to read the account of the 
Creation, which also occurs in Genesis, in a sense different to its literal 
meaning ? For " six days," Dr. Chalmers tells us, we must read six 
periods of time, and as these periods are not to be counted by hours, 
but by millions of years, it shews to what degree of error the literal 
reading of Scripture may lead, when that is opposed to fact and reason. 
Again, we read that death came in consequence of Adam's sin ; but as 
we know that not to be true, we are allowed to allegorise that statement. 
Further, the account of the Fall debars man from the knowledge of 
good and evil. Now, if we were to take that statement literally, we 
must burn our libraries and shut up our churches and schools ; for, if 
knowledge is evil, of course education would be the same. 

The spirit of evil in man is nothing more nor less than the natural 
feelings unsubdued by reason and experience. Self-love in such cir- 
cumstances creates envy, jealousy, revenge, and uncharitableness, and 
these wicked feelings we call the Devil. 

But it will be replied, that God destroyed the perfection of the world 
that he might show forth his own glory in the gift of Christ ; but our 
Saviour himself does not allude to the Fall, or to his supposed mission 
in regard to it. Not only does our Lord give no countenance to the 
idea, but he asserts the very opposite: for he tells the Jews that if he 
had not come to them they had not had sin. Again, he defines in what 
the sin of the world consists, when he says that " This is the condem- 
nation that light is come into the ivorld, and men have loved darkness 
rather than light" and not that Original Sin is the condemnation of 
the world. With the theory of Original Sin, no perfection can be 
assigned to God, — for in not preventing Satan from effecting his evil 
purpose, and in punishing all men for the sin of one, even for his own 
glory, is not the act of a God who is all love, goodness, wisdom, justice, 
and truth. If the literal reading of the tradition of the Fall could be 
shown to be consistent with the idea of a perfect God, it might be 
harmless; but seeing that it is the reverse, we are bound to consider it 
only as an allegory, which was necessary to teach the Jews in their 
primitive condition, but quite uncalled for and positively hurtful in our 
day, who live under a better dispensation. 

We are told that we ought not to reason on religion, but that of 
course would be putting our candle under a bushel, — for, without the 
light of reason there would be darkness. Is not reason the noblest gift 
of God ? and, if so, why are we asked to wrap it in a napkin and bury 
it in the ground ? Without reason, Scripture would be useless. Did 
not our Saviour reason when he addressed the understanding and the 
feelings of the people who surrounded him ? Do not the clergy reason 
when they address their hearers from the pulpit or the press ? and 
unless we are prepared to assign the power of reasoning to the clergy, 
and deny it the laity, as the Catholics do, we have not only a right to 
reason on the Scriptures, but it is our bounden duty so to do. What is 



142 CHURCH REFORM. 

the " Right of private judgment" but the right we now claim? We 
may be told the danger is that, if reason be allowed in matters of reli- 
gion, we shall open the floodgates of infidelity, impiety, and atheism. 
Nothing of the kind. A little reasoning and a little knowledge may 
produce, and actually do produce, infidelity; for there is more hypocrisy 
and profession in the Church than positive belief; but the whole truth, 
which is only to be gained by reasoning, produces actual belief, and is 
the end of scepticism, infidelity, and controversy. In support of this 
statement, we oiFer the present work; and if, after its perusal, the slightest 
trace of infidelity, superstition, or scepticism is felt, we shall be greatly 
mistaken. It has often been remarked, that underneath the popular 
faith lies a substratum of scepticism. This must be the case so long as 
our ideas of God are vague and undefined, — for on that foundation all 
theology rests; and in bringing this important subject under discussion, 
we trust the reader will find his faith greatly enlarged and strengthened. 

Sacrifice. 

St. Paul's Epistles are generally interpreted as meaning a Material 
sacrifice and atonement ; but that the apostle meant a spiritual atone- 
ment may be proved from his own writings. The apostle says, "All 
things by the Law are purged by blood, and without blood there is no 
remission; but if we take that passage literally, we make the apostle 
contradict himself. What the apostle means is simply this, that unless 
Christ had died, his work and atonement would not have been complete; 
and not that the blood of Christ, taken in a material sense, could take away 
sin. If the blood of bulls could not take away sin, it is impossible that 
the blood of Christ's human nature could have that effect, — for none will 
say that Christ's divine nature could die. It is important to bear this 
in mind, — for if we interpret St. Paul literally we shall go back to the 
Jewish doctrine of Sacrifice, which Christ himself denounced, and 
which the prophets said was an abomination to the Lord. We are to 
trust in the blood of Christ in a spiritual sense, — for unless Christ had 
sealed his testimony with his blood, the Gospel could never have reached 
our ears, and consequently we should have remained under sin. 

We may read hundreds of passages on the body and blood of Christ 
in the Bible to support the literal interpretation, but that does not alter 
the fact, that the literal meaning is opposed to the spirit of the Gospel 
and the evidences of fact and reason. If it is difficult to read St. Paul 
in any other than a literal sense, how did the reformers of the six- 
teenth century manage to read St. John in a spiritual sense as to the 
real presence, who spoke even in a more decided manner on that 
question than St. Paul does on the question of sacrifice, as the following 
passage will show : " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and 
drink his blood, ye have no life in you." (John vi.) The reason why 
Christ and his Apostles often speak positively, and not figuratively, is 
the defective nature of all the Oriental languages, for these tongues 
have no word to denote "signify." Now although the New Testament 
is written in Greek, Christ and his Apostles spoke in Syriac, and for 
the want of the necessary words their preaching when rendered into 
Greek occasions much misconception. 

It is the characteristic of all primitive Churches to read the Scriptures 
literally, of which the Catholic Church is a standing example, for that 



CHURCH REFORM. 143 

Church reads the Bible much more literally than the Protestants do, of 
which we have given examples. As Religion advances towards per- 
fection, it will be found that progress can only be effected by reading 
the Bible still more spiritually than heretofore. This must be so if we 
only consider the nature of man. Place the Bible before an illiterate 
man, and he will read it all literally ; but place it before a man en- 
lightened in knowledge and truth, and he will at once spiritualize a 
large portion of it : and if the test of human nature has enabled us to 
spiritualize many passages which have hitherto been taken literally, 
that is the natural effect of knowledge and truth. 

If we are asked why the Bible was not made more plain than it is, we 
answer that question by asking another. Why did our Lord teach his 
Gospel in parables and not by a plainer method of speech, and why 
does God effect his purpose in creation not by giving knowledge 
directly, but by withholding it ? The reason is, that an independent 
intelligence might be created, and keeping this purpose in view the 
Supreme Wisdom has only partially revealed his will orally, and left 
man to do the rest himself. If it is wrong to spiritualize the Bible, as 
we have ventured to do, then the reformation of Luther is wrong, for 
that reformation abolished the doctrine of Transubstantiation, the 
Confessional, Absolution, and a variety of other doctrines by that 
method; and in now going forward to another reformation, we shall 
only carry out that which Luther so nobly began. 

It will not meet the requirements of truth if we sometimes take the 
literal and sometimes the spiritual sense, as it may suit our own opinions 
or wishes, for then we may make the Bible say anything we please. In 
these circumstances, what is to be done ? Has God given to man a 
revelation of his will and denied to him any certain mode of discovering 
its meaning ? Better far that revelation had never been given, for in 
that case it would mislead rather than guide. Certainly not : God's 
works are all perfect and complete, and the gift of revelation is no 
exception to the rule. 

If we make use of facts, — and what are facts but truth ? — we shall 
possess a test which, like the needle always pointing in one direction, 
will invariably point to the right. Nothing is so easily known as a 
fact, and we all know that facts admit of no denial. Here therefore we 
have a certain test of truth, by which a large portion of the difficulties 
constantly occurring in the perusal of the Bible may be solved and set 
at rest. This test shall be our guide to direct us when to apply the 
literal and when the spiritual interpretation. We shall then apply 
ourselves to the study of the Bible upon a definite principle, and no 
longer without any rule to guide us. As the revelation of Nature and 
Scripture have come from the same author, both must be of equal 
authority ; and if apparent discrepancies show themselves, we may be 
assured they are only apparent, for God cannot contradict himself. 

Test of Perfection. 

The doctrine of the Divine Perfection is a test which will meet every 
case. All theology, as the word itself signifies, is based on the divine 
perfection. This being so, it is manifest that no doctrine which con- 



144 CHURCH REFORM. 

tradicts or in any way jars with that governing doctrine can be true ; 
and so searching is this test, that I know of no erroneous doctrine which 
may not be detected and refuted by it. 

Let us now take one or two doctrines to show the operation of this 
comprehensive test. The first doctrine to which we refer is that of 
man's original depravity. We read that sin came into the world by 
Adam's transgression, and that death came in consequence of that sin. 
We grant the fact of the existence of original evil, but not the doctrine 
that God first created Adam free from evil, and afterwards allowed one 
of his creatures to spoil the goodly work. To hold such a doctrine either 
implies a want of Power in God to prevent the work of Satan, or the 
want of Goodness in allowing Satan to effect the ruin of mankind. 
Here the doctrine of original sin is distinctly proved to be opposed to 
the doctrine of God's perfection. The next doctrines to be noticed are 
those of Free Will and Predestination. It is evident that if God has 
denied to man a free will, and has predestinated all things, that God 
himself and not man is responsible for all the evil in the world. There 
is no escape from this deduction, awful as that may be ; and as such a 
deduction would deprive God of all perfection whatever, we are bound 
to reject it, for we must vindicate the character of Jehovah even at the 
sacrifice of our most cherished opinions. When we reject Predestination 
and accept Free Will all is clear ; then we can understand how man is 
responsible for his acts and how God may punish the guilty. 

It is idle for people to argue that the Eeligion of the Church is not 
Faith without Works, but Faith proved by Works, — for here is the 
Eleventh Article of the Church, which defines what the Religion of 
our Church really is: — " Article XI. — Of the Justification of Man. — 
We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own Works or 
deservings : Wherefore that we are justified by Faith only is a most 
wholesome doctrine." 

Dr. Lushington, in pronouncing judgment in the Court of Arches in 
the Rev. Mr. Heath's case (Nov., 1861), stated that every clergyman 
was bound to preach in accordance with the Thirty -nine Articles, and as 
Mr. Heath's doctrine was contrary to the Eleventh Article just quoted, 
he pronounced against him. We mention this to show that the Religion 
of the Church of England is Faith without Works, and not Faith and 
Works. It is now manifest, that every clergyman of the Church 
who wishes to know and preach the true Gospel is bound to petition 
the Legislature for release from the existing Thirty-nine Articles, for 
these have been found by the supreme court of the Church to be opposed 
to the Gospel. 

The ancient heathens and Jews atoned for their sins by sacrificing 
animals, or by burning them with fire on an altar. But this was not 
all, — for when they were in any great distress, they not only multiplied 
the number of their sacrifices, but increased their value. They cast 
their sons and daughters into the fire, and sacrificed them — thinking 
thereby to appease the wrath of the Deity against them, and thus atone 
for their sins. Such was the Religion of the Jewish Church, The 



CHURCH REFORM. 145 

modern doctrine of "Faith without Works" is practically the same 
Religion spiritualized — the sole difference being that the moderns do 
not use an altar, a victim, or fire. 

This false Religion may be a pleasant one, for if men can be absolved 
from sin by sacrifice, they will never reform their lives. And to that 
it owes its success in all ages. Instead, however, of having the ten- 
dency to improve the morals of the people — which is the only object of 
any true Religion — it has the opposite effect — of which the history 
of the past offers ample evidence. When will men be wise, and cease 
to delude themselves with a Religion which is the opposite of Chris- 
tianity. Surely it is a better and pleasanter Religion to aim at the 
beauty of goodness set forth in the Life and Precepts of our Lord, than 
to follow the footsteps of the Pharisees who made themselves whole by 
Faith in Sacrifice. Faith without Works was the ruin of all the ancient 
civilizations; and unless the modern civilizations give it up, it will be 
their ruin as well — for it is a direct encouragement of hypocrisy and all 
the evil passions. Custom, habit, and the love of evil, will make war 
against the return of the Christian world to the pure Gospel ; but the 
Light of Truth is powerful, and will prevail over darkness. 

Jeremiah was the first to announce that the people loved evil, when 
he said the priests prophecy falsely, and the people love it to be so. 
Then came Christ proclaiming the same truth — men love darkness and 
mystery more than light — in other words, evil more than good. Our 
own experience of the world has led to the same result, — for there is no 
other way of accounting for the non-progressive state of the Church 
than that " the people love it to be so." The reason why people like 
evil is the power of habit and custom. We have been accustomed to 
hear of little else but evil, and from use and want we have not only 
come to like it, but to dislike the opposite. Not knowing good from 
our own experience it sounds strange to us. There is, however, no 
reason why we should dislike good, on the contrary, there is every 
reason we should like it. While good elevates the character, evil 
depresses it, and those who once taste the sweets of good will ever 
afterwards dislike evil. 

The infidelity, or want of all religion of the Men in our time, is 
something quite frightful. This deplorable and alarming result has 
come from the advance of intelligence on the one hand, and the want 
of a corresponding progress in the Church. The Laity demand reforms 
of the Church, and in the absence of all reform, they throw off the 
restraints of religion, and become infidels. Such is the actual state of 
the case, and as Mr. Clay remarks, if reforms are not soon made, worse 
will come of it. 

We complain of the increase of unhappy marriages, the prevalence 
of crime, immorality, and improvidence, and yet, we never think of 
asking what is the cause of all this ! The cause is the want of Religion 
amongst the Laity, and the reason is, the want of reform in the Church. 
Let our statesmen consider these things, and lose no time in passing 
the Church Reform Bill when they have the opportunity, for a day may 
soon come when the people will refuse all reforms, as they have done 
in other countries under similar circumstances. 



146 



CHAPTER III. 

GOVERNMENT REFORM. 

It is with feelings of no ordinary pride that we have to announce 
that the great Petition, on which the Church Reform Bill is to be 
founded, has been presented to Her Majesty by Sir George Grey. 

This Petition, which ' may be called the MAGNA CHARTA of 
Religious Liberty, occupies sixteen pages folio, and is too long to be 
inserted here, it will therefore be published separately for general 
circulation. We may mention however, that it contains a draft of the 
Bill, and the text of the Forty-one Articles which are to be substituted 
for the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church. When Parliament meets, 
both Houses will probably call for the production of this Petition, which 
will bring the matter before them, and in the event of Parliament 
petitioning the Queen to pass the Bill, we may expect to see it become 
the law of the land this session. 

An ignorant deluded people is what we have to fear. Now the 
only way to remove that evil is to improve the preaching of the Gospel, 
in the manner proposed by the Petition we have submitted to Her 
Majesty. An improved Pulpit will soon enlighten the people, and then 
there will be no danger that England will become a second America. 
If the people of Paris had been enlightened prior to the revolution of 
that country in 1789, they would have submitted to reason, and accepted 
the reforms that were offered to them, but instead of that they asked 
for blood, and universal ruin was the consequence. 

The Legislature will do well to remember that they have not only 
given votes to the people by the Reform Bill of 1832, but they have 
put arms into their hands by the Volunteer movement of 1860. It is 
manifest that nothing can now protect the Constitution but the enlight- 
enment of the people into whose hands the reins of Government have 
fallen, and the only way to effect that is to reform the Church, and 
improve the preaching of the Pulpit. In this way the gospel of peace 
and good government will have its perfect work on the understanding 
of all classes. The governing classes will become more tolerant and 
reasonable, and the governed classes will be easier to govern. 

There can be no Social liberty without the knowledge of Principles, 
and when a complete code of principles is placed on the statute book, 
and preached weekly to the people from the pulpit, there will be Liberty. 
Let the people of England prove that they are fit for liberty by sending 
up their petitions to Parliament in support of the great Charter of 
Liberty now submitted for their approval. Dr. Blair says the object of 
preaching is to " make men good" and Mr. Disraeli says that the object 
is to "civilize and solace." Now the New Articles will enable the 
Clergy to fulfil their great mission of civilizing the world, which they 
are unable to do under the present system of Articles. 

It was only the other day that the Emperor of the French astonished 
the world by granting a Free press to France, and now he has a second 
time taken us all by surprise by transferring the power over the Public 



GOVERNMENT REFORM. 147 

purse from himself to his Parliament. We have always said that 
Napoleon was a true man, and the moment he saw that it was for the 
benefit of his country to abdicate a portion of his power he has nobly 
done so. Since the times of Cromwell we have not heard of a self- 
denying ordinance, but nothing is too strange for our times. 

The deficiency in the French exchequer is announced to be forty 
millions sterling, and if that sum is spread over the last six years 
in which the money was spent, it will give the sum of £8,300,000 
a year extra to be extorted from the people. Now we are all ready 
enough to see the faults of our neighbours, but let us look at home 
and we shall see the same thing. The expenditure of this country 
has been increased twenty millions per annum since 1854, so that we 
are even in a worse position than the French. Retrenchment must now 
be the order of the day. Let us not be behind the French in the great 
and indispensable work of retrenchment, and if our plan of Govern- 
ment Reform is carried out, we promise that very soon this sum of 
£20,000,000 will disappear from the estimates. 

In 1851, the cost of the army was £9,000,000, and the navy, 
£6,000,000, together £15,000,000. In 1861, the army cost £17,000,000, 
and the navy, £13,000,000, together £30,000,000. In ten years the 
cost of our armaments has been doubled, and until we reduce this 
enormous expenditure to the limits of 1851, we cannot expect to enjoy 
peace or prosperity. 

It has been said that the great object of all Governments is to keep 
their places and do nothing, and looking to the mass of work to be 
done, we cannot say that there is no truth in the remark. The day 
of reform, however, is at hand, as the following speech of Mr. Leatham, 
M.P., shows. 

" Does any one suppose that England, which is the very centre of free 
opinion, at a moment when the whole civilised world is beginning to 
tremble with the pulsations of a new and sudden life, can remain 
sleeping in indolence, and altogether insensible to the universal vibra- 
tion ? More than once the dignity and safety of the empire seemed to 
tremble in the balance ; and if there is any man in this company who, 
from the recurrence of that inevitable agitation — for it is only a question 
of time — fears peril to the State, let him apply himself to removing 
that ignorance which is danger. If this be our endeavour, and if our 
efforts be crowned with success, the storm may burst upon us — it may 
shake to the foundations many things ; but I feel convinced it will pass 
away, leaving neither desolation nor mourning behind it, but bracing 
all things that are great and noble in the character of our people, and 
adding new life to the State, new lustre to the Crown, and glorious 
centuries to the history of England." 

The great value of these remarks is, that they show the connection 
between things moral and physical, which is so apt to be overlooked in 
this material age, but which must be taken into consideration before 
the country can be restored to a healthy state. Mr. Leatham seems to 
expect a reformation or revolution in this country, and we are of the 
same opinion. Unless a complete system of reforms in the Church and 
the State are immediately carried out, a revolution is certain to break 
out sooner or later. The sole question is a question of time, i.e. whether 



148 GOVERNMENT REFORM. 

the expected "outburst" will come next year or the year after. A 
dead lock would have come with or without the withdrawal of the 
Cotton supply, the only difference which that makes is, that it hastens 
the advent of the necessary reforms. But let us not be alarmed at the 
coming changes, for as Mr. Leatham says, they will bring good and 
not evil, for it was impossible that the present unsatisfactory state of 
things could go on much longer. 

Some short-sighted politicians talk as if everything had been 
reformed, but now that we have examined into the actual state of 
affairs, it turns out that reform has hitherto only been applied to the 
surface, and instead of having arrived at the end of reform, we have 
only come to its beginnings. We lately asked an experienced Member 
of Parliament if he did not think we were coming to a dead lock, and 
he replied, that nothing effective would be done in the way of reform 
until we came to a dead lock ! We do not take so gloomy a view of 
the future as this, for we hope and believe that Parliament will pass 
the necessary Reformation Bills before we come to a dead lock, and 
thus prevent anything of the kind. 

We observe with dismay a general gathering of the Electoral Reform 
societies at Leeds. This is a new attempt to restore life to the defunct 
reform agitations of the past. The evil of this movement is, that it 
occupies the ground which would otherwise be taken up with real and 
practical reform. While it can do no good it can do much harm. 
There is no party in the House of Commons who really wish Electoral 
Reform, and to agitate for an impossible thing is as idle and injudicious 
as the O'Connell agitation of 1839. If the good of the people is the 
object of the Leeds Conference, they will keep Electoral Reform in 
abeyance for the present, and go for such reforms as are practical and 
suited to the present circumstances of the country. 

To propose the Ballot and Universal Suffrage to England, at a time 
when these institutions are on their trial in America and Australia, is 
truly preposterous. As well propose anarchy and revolution at once, 
for the Ballot and Universal Suffrage have already produced these in 
America, and may soon do the same for Australia. Mr. W. Jackson, 
M.P., who has hitherto voted for the Ballot, takes the proper view 
of the matter. He said the other day, that if he found the Ballot did 
not answer in America he would abandon it. Let the Leeds reformers 
follow this sound advice, and they will act like men of business, who do 
not shut their ears to the language of experience and common sense. 

About forty years ago the idea of providing Mechanics' and Scientific 
Institutions began, and now there are no less than two thousand of 
them. These institutions have done some good, but their day has passed 
away. The reason of this is, that dry science and mechanics do not 
touch the heart, and that being so, they can never convert the mind, or 
produce that enlightenment which is necessary. We believe that our 
plan of enlightening the world (by the pulpit) is the only proposal that 
has met the necessities of the case. While that does not run counter 
to mechanics and science, it will supply what these do not and cannot 
give. The difficulty which stood in the way of bringing the pulpit to 
bear on the many was its imperfections, but that difficulty will now be 
entirely removed by the new Articles of Religion. 



GOVERNMENT REFORM. 149 

Rub cloth the wrong way and see how rough it becomes, but rub it 
right and it will be smooth. So is it with reform. Begin Church 
Reform with the Articles and you will have no opposition, but begin 
with the Church Services and you will find how rough the way is. 
Begin Electoral Reform by enlightening the people and you will pre- 
pare them for power, but place power in their hands before they know 
their right hand from their left, and there will be danger. Begin 
Government Reform by mere retrenchment without improving the 
management, and you will be pound-foolish and penny-wise. 

By beginning at the causes of evil every one will see the necessity 
of the proposed reforms, but begin at the effects and no one can see it. 
We are all too ready to jump to conclusions. We have not patience to 
go the right way to gain our purpose, and for that reason reform makes 
no progress. We hope we have now shown to a demonstration the 
cause of all the failures of the past, both as regards reforms in the 
State and the Church, and we trust our statesmen and politicians will 
take the hint and begin their reforms not at effects but at causes. 

If any thing is needed to prove that a new Reformation is essentially 
conservative, we need only refer to the national debt. With a reformed 
Church and an enlightened people there will be no danger of revolu- 
tions, but with the Church unreformed, and infidelity and ignorance on 
the increase, revolution and danger to the national debt are only 
questions of time. Let the rich and the noble look the future fairly 
in the face, and no longer sit still and allow things to take their own 
course, for assuredly that course will be a bad one. 

Churchmen fear to meet dissenters half way, and dissenters fear to 
meet churchmen, lest either should lose by proximity. But why 
should they fear contact with truth and justice ? Is it possible that 
either can lose caste in such good company. On the contrary, is it not 
certain that both will be infinite gainers thereby. We say, therefore, 
let neither fear to meet each other on the neutral ground of the new 
reformation, for its ways will be ways of pleasantness, and its paths 
peace. There is nothing so unworthy of men as jealousy, let us there- 
fore leave such feelings to children, and act as become men and brethren. 

The other Church reforms which will probably follow the passing of 
the Reform Bill of the Articles, are the following — 1st, the reformation 
of the Convocation ; 2nd, reform of the Patronage of the Church ; and 
3rd, the reform of the Prayer Book. By the present constitution of Con- 
vocation, that body does not truly represent the Church, for while it only 
represents one-third of the Clergy, the Laity is not represented at all ! 

By the existing system of election, no Clergyman can rise by merit. 
This is a serious drawback, for no encouragement is held out to the 
Clergy to distinguish themselves, and this is the great reason why so 
few eminent men exist in the Church. The simple way to effect the 
desired object is, to give the election of the Clergy to the people. The 
people have an inherent right to the election of their pastors, and so 
soon as this right is conferred upon them, the Clergy will exert them- 
selves, and we shall see progress in the clerical profession as well 
as in other professions. The papers are filled with complaints from the 
Curates of the Church, who are compelled to do all the work, and are 
half-starved into the bargain. Now the simple remedy for this is, to 



150 GOVERNMENT REFORM. 

give the election to the people, and then the Curates will rise to be 
Rectors and Deacons according to their merits. The Prayer Book and 
Services of the Church want great reforms, but as these ought to be the 
carrying out of the Articles, it would be impossible to touch them until 
the question of the Articles is first settled. 

To carry any or all these great reforms, more unity of opinions 
is required than at present exists, and that want will be supplied the 
moment our Bill of Articles is passed. Do not let us waste our strength 
on impossible things, and in deferring the consideration of these indis- 
pensable reforms until after the great Charter of Religious Liberty is 
accepted and ratified by the nation, we act upon the sound principle of 
taking one thing at a time, and of beginning at the beginning. To 
begin at the end as some would have us do, is to act like children, 
which could end in nothing but adding to the confusion and anarchy 
already existing. 

We have been told that men are not made to act in harmony with 
each other, but yet that progress is desirable. Let us tell such false 
reasoners that if men are incapable of uniting that they are likewise 
incapable of progress, for without unity there can be no progress. To 
say that men are not born to agree, is the language of scepticism, a 
conclusion which is falsified by the history of man, for we know that 
he has made great progress, and that such progress has been made by 
advances in the direction of unity. It is ignorance and delusion that 
keep men divided ; let these be removed, and it will be impossible for 
men to disagree. 

It is a well known proverb that "a foreseen dearth never comes," and 
we may add that " a foreseen revolution never comes." Foresight is 
the faculty by which to prevent coming evils, and by showing the 
danger that is now threatened of a revolution we take the best means 
of preventing it. 

Revolutions and Civil Wars are like the letting out of water, for we 
never know where they may stop or when they may be brought to an 
end. Although we may not like reform, we must recollect that the 
choice is now between reform and revolution, and those who would 
prefer the latter only show their ignorance of what a revolution is. 
Look at America, which is involved in universal ruin, and we may 
learn a lesson to make any possible sacrifice to prevent a revolution. 
The new reformation will give a new lease of peace, progress, and 
prosperity, and we shall once more be honored to be known as the 
nation which fights its revolutions in the Press and the Parliament, and 
not in the field or the streets. 

We have now taken a rapid glance at the three great reforms under- 
taken by our Society, viz., Government reform, Church reform, and 
Personal reform, and it is only necessary to show the arrangement 
which have been made for carrying them out. The General Committee 
of the Society is to be divided into three sections, to each of which is 
to be assigned one of the three reforms. There will be one committee 
for Government Reform, another for Church Reform, and the 
third for Personal Reform. Such is our plan of operations, and the 
moment the committees are completed the names shall be published. 



151 



GENERAL CONCLUSION. 



The great object of the Reformation is to overthrow Satan and his 
Kingdom. Now what is Satan and that Kingdom of which we hear so 
much, and of which we know so little ? We answer that Satan is the 
natural feelings and affections when they are not ruled by the under- 
standing and the reason. Allow the reason and the intellect to govern 
us, and Satan and his Kingdom are utterly destroyed. 

"The trite remark is not true, that men and nations are uniformly 
governed by their real interests. They are not even governed by what 
they believe to be their interest, for Passion and Prejudice, Likings and 
Aversions, have their full sway in political as well as in private life." — 
The Times, October, 1861. 

Here we learn a great truth, that Self-interest is not the only ruler of 
the world, but that another power exists more potent still. This wicked 
and rebellious spirit which overrules self-interest we are accustomed to 
call the Devil. We are all cognizant of this sad reality from our own 
experience, but let no man despair. There is a remedy for every evil, 
and the remedy for the devilish spirit within us all is reformation. 
True opinions produce new and better feelings, and these new feelings 
will now gain the mastery. 

It is because good feeling is not as yet powerful enough to overrule 
bad feeling that evil preponderates, but let reformation principles prevail, 
and the kingdom of Satan will come to an end. It is useless to attempt 
to change our bad feelings directly or all at once, for that has often been 
tried, and has always failed. No, we must attack the evil at its source 
by expelling ignorance and delusion, and that which was impervious 
to a direct attack will yield to an indirect attack. 

Let it never be forgotten that one evil feeling cannot improve or cast 
out another evil feeling, for Satan cannot cast out Satan. It is only by 
improving our opinions and beliefs, by the adoption of true opinions on 
the one hand, and the casting away false opinions on the other, that 
we can effectually operate on the corrupt feelings of the heart, and 
improve them. 

Many men have conquered themselves in the way now explained, and 
there is no reason why all men may not do the same. We say, therefore, 
let no man or woman despair, for all may deliver themselves from the 
tyranny of their evil passions by following the dictates of truth and 
justice. There is not a man, woman, or child, who is not personally 
interested in carrying the reformation, and that being so, we ask one and 
all to lend us a helping hand in the great and good work we have under- 
taken. Let us not be overcome of evil, as heretofore, but let us hence- 
forth overcome evil with good. 

D 



152 GENERAL CONCLUSION. 

God, the author of our being, is the Perfection of Righteousness. 
That is the pattern to which we are to aspire — of which Christ Jesus 
God manifest in the flesh, is the expression. To aspire to the likeness 
of God is the religion of the Reformed Church, and in giving effect to 
that aspiration. — the highest of which man is capable — we thereby 
glorify our Maker. We cannot deceive God, and to profess to glorify 
Him with words without actions, will not avail with Him who seeth all 
things. Self-reformation is the only true Religion, and in fulfilling this 
duty we become fellow -workers with our Maker in working out the 
happiness of our race. It will be observed that this doctrine is the 
opposite of what we hear from the pulpit, and shows how necessary a 
reformation is. 

The proper test of Divine Truth is the perfection of God in Wisdom 
and Holiness, and that is the test by which the Reformed Articles have 
been compiled. It is by using the searching and comprehensive test of 
God's perfection that we have been able to separate the wheat from the 
tares, and produce a result which must command the assent of every 
christian. By imitating the perfections of God on the Earth we shall 
respond to the words of our daily prayer, when we say " Thy will be 
done on the Earth as it is in Heaven? That is the object of the new 
creed, and we commend it to the earnest and attentive study of our 
readers, for, if we do not mistake the signs of the times, the new Articles 
are destined to bring the kingdom of Satan to an end. 

Amusement, idle frivolity, and to scoff at all that is serious, has come 
to be thought the perfection of manners. But, alas, this life is a reality, 
and they who thus disregard the dictates of truth and justice must pay 
the penalty. Those who spend the best of their days in such folly, will 
find that there is nothing left to them to solace their riper years but a 
soul that is worse than useless. 

When we turn to the working classes, we find them no better. In- 
stead of improving they are going backwards. Their minds are being 
fed by trashy publications, and there are none to raise their voices 
against an evil which will, unless checked, humble this country in a way 
that is little expected. Whether we look at the high or the low, we find 
a gradual falling off in the moral standing of the people. Surely we 
have had enough of what is called fast manners, and that now at last 
men will be serious, and set themselves to work out a reformation. 

The good and the noble have almost died out, for go where we will, 
we know not where to find good people. We have arrived at the 
bottom of the ladder, and we knew it not. All have, as it were, to be 
remade — everything has to be done, but where is the power equal to so 
great an achievement as the regeneration of this world of ours. We 
have found that power — hundreds and thousands have already joined 
the movement, and although these comprise members of every church 
and every party, they are linked together in one common bond — even 
that of reformation. Here then we discover a power equal to the 
conquest of the world, for union is power. 

Mr. Clay has said, that the new reformation reconciles the Reason 
with the Sentiments, which none of all the numerous existing Churches 
or Religions do. Such being the favourable circumstances in which we 



GENERAL CONCLUSION. 153 

come before the world as reformers, it is only what is to be expected, if a 
great and glorious result, unknown to the world before, is now achieved. 

The New Articles of Belief will change and improve the whole 
character of our pulpit ministrations. The Clergy are at present bound 
to preach in conformity with the Thirty-nine Articles of the Prayer 
Book, but when the New Articles become the law of the land, the 
Clergy will conform their preaching to them, and in proportion as the 
New Articles are superior to the Old Articles, so will the preaching of 
the Churches of the New Reformation be superior to the preaching of 
the Churches of the Old Reformation. 

It is by means of the Clergy and the Churches that we propose to 
reform the world. At present very little is learned from the pulpit, 
and if this is doubted, we point to the men and women the unreformed 
Churches have produced. What amount of real knowledge do the 
people possess, and how far have they passed from nature to a state 
of civilization and regeneration. We have not said, "be ye warmed," 
and have not at the same time given the necessary clothing, for we 
have not only said, reform the preaching of the pulpit, but we have sup- 
plied — by a definite Code of Articles — the means by which that object 
is to be accomplished. When order and consistency are introduced into 
the pulpit, the progress of the people in the knowledge of all that is 
good and true will be sure and certain. 

When we began our work we were told we were visionaries, 
striving after an impossible improvement of the world. We replied 
that we did not think so, and that it was time enough to predict defeat 
when our proposal had had a fair trial and was rejected. Months passed 
on, essay after essay made their appearance, and the threatened opposition 
never came. Committees were formed, public meetings held, and all 
passed off in harmony and good will. After having been before the 
world for twelve months, and passing successfully through the ordeal 
of the press and the lecture room, the Reformation has carried the day. 

Nothing but an imperative sense of duty would have induced us 
to undertake the responsible office of directing the movement; but 
having once put our shoulder to the wheel we shall not look back. The 
times are ominous, and we doubt not the next six months will prove 
to every one that if we had not had a Reformation, we should certainly 
have had a Revolution. 

The present being the first attempt that has ever been made to 
reform the Churches upon Evangelical principles, we shall be asked, why 
a reformation was not tried long ago ? The simple answer is, that no 
one possessed the moral courage to make the proposal. The amount of 
intolerance in the world exceeds belief, and that is the reason why no 
one has ventured to tell the whole truth. Now that the difficulty has 
been met, we shall be able to estimate the amount of suffering which 
intolerance has entailed on the world, for up to the present time it has 
deprived us of the blessings of a reformation which might have been 
carried a hundred years ago as well as now. 

It was Lord Bacon who introduced the short-sighted system of keeping 
Religion and Politics apart, and we have unfortunately followed his ad- 



154 GENERAL CONCLUSION. 

vice ever since. There was great excuse for this weakness on the part 
of Bacon, for if he had touched Religion he would have been sent off to 
the Tower to atone for the indiscretion ; but we live in happier times, 
and that which he was not at liberty to do, we can do without the 
slightest danger to personal liberty. 

To do right in politics is religion as well as to do right in other things, 
and unless we take theological considerations along with it in our political 
movements we cannot know right from wrong, nor can we unite people 
so as to carry any measure of general importance. It is the same with 
the Church, if we treat Church matters apart from Politics we leave 
behind a source of discord which will effectually prevent any possible 
reform. The experience of the last two centuries fully confirms what 
we have now said, and if we are allowed to refer to the meetings which 
have been held in connection with our own movement, in which both 
Politics and Religion have been introduced, and where nothing but con- 
cord was the result, we shall have a further confirmation of the same 
thing. Nature is one, and unless we legislate for it, upon principles 
which embrace the whole, we cannot expect to produce a result which 
will be acceptable to all parties. 

Nothing but the blindness and perverseness of human nature prevents 
the world from being improved and perfected, for true it is that man has 
his destiny in his own hands if he would only believe it. If any one 
expects evil, evil will come, for that very expectation produces the thing 
which is expected. Now reverse this and you will have the opposite 
result. Let every one expect good, say a general reformation, in morals, 
manners, customs, and religion, and that expectation will be realized, for 
then every one will act in accordance with his expectation, and that very 
action produces the good expected. 

The great difficulty is to induce Belief in the minds of men. But if we 
are able to show how the desired reformation may be effected, as we have 
endeavoured to do, this want of Belief ought to be supplied. No com- 
plaint has been made by the people that they cannot understand our 
books, and that being so, there is no reason why Belief may not take 
the place to unbelief. Too long have we fed on the empty husks of 
unbelief, now let us take a plentiful meal of wholesome food, and we 
shall be fed and nourished. 

Population goes on encreasing, and unless some general improvement 
ensues, the wants of man will infallibly outstrip his resources, when the 
world of the future will become worse than the world of the present. 
We must either go forward to an improvement, or fall backward into a 
decline, and when we have shown how a great reformation may be 
carried, it will be our own fault if we turn our backs on a movement 
so full of promise. Away then with doubts and fears, for why should 
we complain of the world not being better than it is, when we may im- 
prove it. 

Scepticism and Self-condemnation have done nothing for us, now let 
us give Belief and Self-reformation a fair trial, and we answer for it 
that the world of the future will exceed in glory the world of the past, 
as much as the sun exceeds the moon in splendour. In saying so much, 
we only predict the natural results of the movement. While we do not 



GENERAL CONCLUSION. 155 

wish to raise expectations too high, it is only right that we should not 
state the case less favourably than the facts warrant. 

We must not conclude without one word to the press. There is no 
class who are more vitally interested in the movement than the Daily 
press ; for, without a reformation, the press cannot be a free press. The 
Church Reformation Bill of our Society is to be brought before Parlia- 
ment in March next, and it is highly desirable that the press should 
bring the matter prominently before their readers without delay, so that 
the public may be prepared for it when the Bill comes to be discussed in 
Parliament. The Press has hitherto given us almost no assistance. All 
the work has been thrown on ourselves. Now this ought not to be. 
The office of the press is to keep the public informed as to what is going 
on, and we call on them to do their part. There was some excuse for 
the silence of the press when the movement first began, but now that the 
matter has been taken up by the public, we have a right to expect assist- 
ance from those who occupy the influential position of public journalists. 

Those who look for any thing new, either in our principles or objects, 
will be greatly disappointed. Our object is neither novelty nor change, 
for the truths we have spoken are not new but old. All we ask is 
order and consistency, for with these alone mankind will assuredly be 
changed and regenerated. We have sifted the wheat and cast away the 
tares, and that is all we have done. 

The tendency of human nature is to take a wrong course. Naturally 
man does not like principle ; he may therefore be considered to be 
naturally opposed to a reformation. This fact will account for the pro- 
longed absence of any new reformation. At first sight it seems strange 
that although all men see the want of a reformation none should have 
proposed one. But when we remember that man is naturally disposed 
the other way, the enigma is explained. Now, how are we to counteract 
this evil tendency? SELF-INTEREST is our weapon. Consult 
Self-interest, and you will vote for the reformation. 

Evil produces want, poverty, discontent, and unhappiness, and good 
produces wealth, comfort, and happiness. Those who object to reforma- 
tion, choose evil, and those who accept a reformation, choose good. 
Nature is powerful, but Civilization is more powerful still, for we believe 
these facts only require to be universally known and understood to in- 
duce all men to deny their natural feelings at the call of reason. To do 
that is to produce a reformation, and to change a partially civilized world 
into a civilized world. 

To attempt to estimate in money the gain which is offered by the 
reformation would be impossible, for the major part of that gain consists 
not of dollars, but of happiness. That the reformation will double the 
resources of England and greatly reduce the expenditure of the country 
we have no doubt, but, as already said, any money consideration can only 
indicate a small part of the promised gain. We have said that the new 
reformation is peace. We are not going to set every man at variance 
with his own household, as in primitive, on the contrary, we are going to 
allay all differences by introducing a religion based on principles which 
can produce nothing but peace and concord. 

The great error into which the Churches have fallen is in ascribing 



156 GENERAL CONCLUSION. 

everything to God and nothing to man. Now, although God is the 
original cause of all things, Man is the immediate cause of every thing 
he has to do with. Every thing has an original cause, and a proximate 
cause, and it is necessary to distinguish between these if we wish to 
know the truth. This is particularly necessary in matters of religion, 
for if we ascribe the acts of Man to God, which we are so apt to do, 
in order to release ourselves from the responsibility of our own acts, we 
throw the whole system of religion into disorder and hopeless confusion. 
In the New Articles of Religion we have studiously avoided this great 
error, and that is the reason why so many of the doctrines of Religion 
have undergone important changes at our hands. 

The want of a Moral Science, worthy of the name, has long been 
felt, but all men saw this was impossible so long as the church was un- 
reformed. Now there is no obstruction to this perfection of the science, 
and we hope the present work will lay the foundation of a moral science, 
the object of which will be the expulsion of ignorance, want, and evil, 
from the world. Any object less than that is unworthy of the name of 
" Moral Science," and any system less comprehensive than our own 
will be insufficient to accomplish its great mission. 

If it should be said that we pass too rapidly from one subject to 
another, we answer that it is only in taking a view of all subjects that we 
can get a correct view of any one point. Nature is one whole, and if 
we wish to know and understand nature, we must survey the whole. 
We might easily write volumes on any one doctrine, but when that was 
done the reader would be as far as ever from his object. As already 
said, we must look at the whole circle of truth, and to do that we must 
be brief on the particular points, or we would fall into the error we con- 
demn so much in others, of writing many volumes which no man can 
read. The Rev. Sidney Smith says, that brevity is to literature what 
charity is to religion, and with so great an authority in favor of our 
method of writing, we cannot doubt that we have chosen the only plan 
which could accomplish the object we have in view. 

We now conclude the history of the rise and progress of the new 
Reformation ; and if we may estimate the time that will be necessary 
to complete our work by the progress made during the ten months of 
our existence as an organized society, we should say that the Reformation 
will certainly be completed within the space of five years, as originally 
contemplated by the prospectus of the society. 

Great and world-wide events come to maturity much more rapidly 
than minor events, for the more widely the sphere of operations is 
extended, the greater is the impulse produced, and for that reason we 
feel assured that the New Reformation will be rapid in its progress 
beyond all precedent. The pen, the printing press, and the penny 
postage have done their several parts, let action now follow, and the 
noblest Reformation the world ever saw will be consummated. 



FINIS. 



159 
INDEX 



PAGE. 

Articles of Belief, New 15, 84, 106, 128 

Augustine, St 39 

America 1,61,63 

Atonement 19, 33, 42, 144 

Anti-Christ 54 

Articles of Religion .... . . 84 

Army and Navy 96 

Austria 112 

Bible . . 8, 17, 139, 143 

Baptism.. .. 19 

Belief 20,154 

Baptismal Begeneration . . . . 75 

Blair, Dr 146 

Ballot 148 

Bacon, Lord . . 153 

Brevity of Style 156 

Butler, Bishop 85 

Bill Office, Public 96 

Bunsen, Baron 115 

Brougham, Lord 99 

Court of Arches . . 144 

Constitution of the Church . . 3 

Church Reform Bill 5 

Clergy 8,15,85,86 

Character 9 

Conversion 9, 18 

Catholic Church 11, 32, 78 

Catholic Reformation 12 

Confessional 13 

Circle of the Churches . . . . 14 
Church, High and Low . . 14, 69 

Christ 19 

Conscience 20, 32 

Convocation Reform 149 

Conversion of the Heathen . . 31 

Calvinism .. . . 35 

Civilization . . . . 23, 39, 40, 59, 136 

Cayla, M 46, 124 

Cavour 81,106 

Chalmers, Dr 87 

Candlish, Dr 71 

Centralization 95 

Clay, C. M., Letter of 119 

Council of Trent 13 

Custom . . 145 

Dissenters .... . . . . 3, 149 

Doctrinal Reform . . . . 7, 9, 24 

Devotion 10 

Democracy . . 61 

Dictator 67 

Disraeli, M.P., Mr 146 

Essays unanswered 107 

Ebury, Lord 55, 97 



PAGE. 

Evil 17, 19, 102 

Evangelical 41,138,153 

Ecclesiastical Doctrines , . . . . . 38 
Essays and Reviews . . . . 7, 52 

Enlightenment 54, 153 

End of the World 18 

External Aid 91,126 

Emerson • . . . . 65 

Foresight 150 

Free-Will .... 16, 33, 104, 144 

Feelings 21 

France .. 27, 46, 49, 50 

Faith and Works 36, 144 

Fear 53 

Faith in Man ,. . 107 

French Alliance 116 

God 15,53,101,152 

Gregory, St 11 

Gladstone, Mr. ... . .... . . 94 

Government, Office of.. .* .. 106 

Garibaldi 12, 82 

Goodness .. .. » 135 

Hypocrisy 21 

Hume, Joseph 95 

Hungary 113 

Human Nature 154 

History, Progressive 104 

Holv Alliance 27 

Heath, Rev. Mr 144 

Italy 106,109 

Inspiration 3, 31 

Incredulity . . . . 4 

Intolerance 10, 11, 21 

Integrity 67 

Income Tax 97 

Indifference 104 

Infidelity of Men . . » . . . 145 

Jewish Church 13 

Jeremiah 145 

Knowledge 17 

Leeds Conference 148 

Love of Evil 145 

Libraries . . 43, 138 

Luther's Reformation . . . . . . 9, 12 

Lord's Supper .. 19 

Lord's Day 22 

Love and Self-denial . . . . 21, 140 

Life, This 22 

Leatham, M.P., Mr 147 

Legislation • . , . 59 



160 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Liberty .. .. * 61,146 

Lincoln, President . . . . 118, 125 

Missionaries 137 

Man .. .. .. ..2,41,102,104 

Morals, Science of .... 15, 156 

Miracles .. «-. ..- ..9,16,102 
MiU, J. S. .. ..< .. .,37,43,87 

Miraculous Grace . . . . 39, 103 

Maury, Captain .. *. .. .. 61 

Money, value . * 155 

Moderation .138 

Magna Charta of Liberty . . . . 146 
Mechanic's Institutions . . . . 148 

McCosh, Dr. * . 66 

Manners 67 

Monarchy .. 106 

Mental Revolution * 107 

Macaulay 108 

Mazzini 109 

McClintock,Dr. .. .. w .. 99 

Moral Courage 99 

Marriages 137 

Night Work 97 

Nature . . . . 15, 84 

Naturalism 23 

Newly-furnished House . . . • 54 
National Church for Italy . . . . 80 

Natural Reformation 85 

Novelty disliked 105 

Napoleon in 115,146 

Newman, Professor .. .. .. 23 

New York Times .. .. . . .. 94 

Order of Reform . . . . . . . . 148 

Original Sin . . . . 8, 103, 140, 141 

Object of the World 16 

Opinions . . ...... • • . . 20 

Opinion National of Paris . . .. 123 

Oriental Languages • . • • . . 142 

Public Spirit 98 

Public Opinion 100 

Prayer Book Reform . . . . 4, 149 

Prevention 4 

Pharisees and Sadducees .... 7 

Punishment's 18 

Preaching 22, 146 

Political Reformation 29 

Press, The 29, ] 55 

Predestination 34, 144 

Precept at fault 41, 135 

Priests 72 

Papal Bull 79 

Principles •• 84 

Pusey, Dr 74 

Progress and Unity 150 

Perfection, Divine 143 

Patronage Reform .. .. •• 149 

Personal Reform 135,151 

Prayer 152 



PAGE. 

Panacea for Civilization . • . . 108 

Poland 113 

Prussia 114 

Palmer, Roundell 93 

Private Judgment . . . . . . 107 

Reform only begun 148 

Reformation Society, 3,4, 54, 83, 124, 150 

Reformers 1, 2, 55 

Rationalism 3, 23 

Revivals 8,39 

Responsibility .... . . 16, 103 

Religion 17,18 

Regeneration . . 20 

Reason and Sentiment 21, 54, 152 

Revealed, Everything to be . . 41 

Republics 51 

Russian Serfs • . 113 

Revolutions . . 91, 150 

Record, The 71 

Religion, Progressive 104 

Ricasoli . . . . 109 

Retrenchment 147 

Sincerity 10,21 

Sedgwick, Professor 15 

Satan 53, 151 

Slavery 62, 68, 99, 118, 126 

Science 66 

Self-Interest 155 

Syria 75 

Soul, The .. 84 

Social Intolerance 86 

Subscription to Articles . . . . 97 

Silvestre, M 124 

Southern Confederacy 126 

Spurgeon, Mr 55, 69 

Smith, Rev. S 156 

True Church 1, 120 

Truth 20, 37 

Truth, One only 29 

Truth, not final 55 

Truth, a hammer 55 

Trinity, The 16,30,103 

Testament, New 17 

Transubstantiation 74 

Times, The .. .. 100,110,113,151 

Tea Duties 97 

Texts of Scripture 105 

Theses, The Sixty-one . . . . 108 
Temperance Societies 138 

Will, The 20 

Whig and Tory 29 

Westminster Review 66 

Walestein .. 83 

Wilberforce 87 

Washington 124, 125 

Women 136 

Working Classes 149,152 



CHRONOLOGY. 



A.D. 

Death of St. Gregory, and the 
beginning of the Papacy . . 600 

Mahomet 650 

Defeat of the Turks at Tours . . 732 

Venerable Bede 735 

Charlemagne 772 

Greek Church separates • . • • 853 

Alfred the Great 878 

Cardinals begin 1062 

William the Conqueror • . . . 1066 

Hildebrand Pope 1073 

Magna Charta ♦ 1215 

Koger Bacon at Oxford . . 1214-1292 
Pope at Avignon . . . . , . • . 1308 
Pope's return to Kome • . . . 1377 

Artillery first used 1383 

Wicliff at Oxford 1384 

John Huss burned at Prague . . 1415 

Printing invented 1440 

America discovered 1494 

Luther and Tetzel 1518 

English Beformation . . . . . . 1534 

Council of Trent rises . . . . 1546 

Death of Luther 1546 

Cranmer burned at Smithfield . . 1555 

Elizabeth Queen 1559 

St. Bartholomew 1572 

Edict of Nantes passed . . . . 1598 
Lord Bacon . . . . . . 1560 to 1626 

Gustavus Adolphus 1632 

Galileo at Florence 1642 

Peace of Westphalia, end of the 
Thirty Years' War 1648 

Oliver Cromwell 1654 



A.D. 

Charles II 1660 

Two Thousand Clergy secede . . 1662 

Fire and Plague of London . . 1666 

William HE 1668 

Peter the Great 1682 

Louis XIV 1684 

Edict of Nantes revoked . . . . 1685 

Battle of Boyne 1690 

Treaty of Utrecht, end of the Wars 

of Louis XIV 1713 

Sir I. Newton 1719 

American Independence • . • • 1776 

Voltaire 1778 

James Watt .1780 

States General meet at Paris • • 1789 
Adam Smith at Glasgow . • • . 1790 

Partition of Poland 1795 

Napoleon L, Emperor . . . . 1804 

Pitt dies 1806 

Moscow burned . . 1812 

Vittoria 1813 

Waterloo 1815 

EeformEiots 1830 

Keform Bill carried 1832 

Victoria Queen 1837 

Corn Laws repealed 1846 

Irish Famine 1847 

France a Bepublic 1848 

Napoleon III. Emperor . . . . 1852 

Crimean War 1854 

Indian War and Kebellion.. . . 1859 

Chinese War I860 

American Civil War . . • . • . 1861 
The New Reformation .. .. 1861 



WORK ON THE NEW REFORMATION. 

This day is Published, 8vo, Price 10s. 6d. 

Philosophy and History op Civilization, by A. Alison, Esq. 

LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL. 
CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER 

1. The Nature of God and the Perfection of His Attributes. 



10; 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 
23. 



Chaos Created out of Space. 

The System of Nature Created out of Chaos. 

How the Government of Nature is carried on. 

The Constitution of Human Nature. 

The Plan of Redemption. 

Doctrinal Reform the basis of the New Reformation. 

What Civilization is, and how it may be Reformed and Perfected. 

The Order of Progress and Politics. 

Literature on the Decline, and how it may be Improved. 

The Philosophy of the Fine Arts. 

The Formation of Character. 

The Persian, Greek, and Western Roman Empires. 

The Eastern Roman Empire. 

The Middle Ages, and the Decline of Liberty. 

The Reformation of Luther, and the French Revolution. 

The Louis Napoleon Period to 1861. 

The History of England to 1861. 

The Present Condition and Future Prospects of. England. 

The Coming Struggle, political and religious, and how to meet it. 

English Literature, and how to Choose our Reading. 

The Search after Truth concluded. 

A Reformation Society is suggested. 



FROM THE "OBSERVER" 

" This is in every respect a remarkable book ; remarkable for the extent and variety 
of its information, remarkable for the sincerity of its convictions, remarkable for the 
boldness of its views, and remarkable for the out-spoken fearless manner in which it 
is written. It is unquestionably honest ; it is characterized by a profundity of thought, 
and, above all, by an unflinching devotion to Truth, which cannot be lightly con- 
sidered in any general estimation of its value to the world." 



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